A blueprint for coalition negotiations between Germany’s Christian Democratic Union Party, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the country’s Social Democratic Party, headed by Martin Schulz, has stoked fears in Israel.
The blueprint, which the party leaders agreed on last Friday, fails to mention neither Germany’s unique connection with Israel nor the latter’s Jewish character—points that were expressly stated in the basic guidelines that formed Merkel’s two previous governments.
Additionally, the blueprint includes an article dealing with the military, stating an opposition to “acts of targeted killings by automatic weapons systems” as well as a commitment to develop European drone technology. The article may hinder a deal between Israel and Germany for the purchase of Israeli drones, which was suspended last summer after sudden opposition by the Social Democrats.
The fate of the future German government depends on the Social Democrats, who will be required to decide if they support the coalition blueprint. Many in the party oppose the creation of another large coalition headed by Merkel.
