German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday that Berlin’s support for Israel may have contributed to its failure to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Germany lost a bid for one of two seats allocated to the Western European and Others Group, receiving 104 votes in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly and falling short of the 127 votes needed for the required two-thirds majority. Portugal and Austria secured the seats with 134 and 131 votes, respectively. The two-year terms begin on Jan. 1, 2027.
The defeat marked the first time Germany has failed to win election to the Security Council after seeking a rotating seat. Germany previously served six terms on the 15-member body, which consists of five permanent members—the United States, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom—and 10 elected members serving staggered two-year terms.
Wadephul, who traveled to New York last week to reportedly lobby some 80 ministers and ambassadors for Germany’s candidacy, suggested the outcome reflected Berlin’s positions on several major international issues, while also acknowledging that Germany entered the race later than its rivals.
“We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share,” Wadephul told reporters.
He said it was “no secret” that Moscow had worked to steer votes away from Germany due to its “firm support for Ukraine,” Wadephul said. Russia has also been an outspoken critic of Israel within the United Nations.
Wadephul added that Germany’s support for Israel amid the Jewish state’s war with Hamas may have hurt its electoral hopes.
“The fact that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes,” he said, referring to Germany’s post-Holocaust commitment to Israel’s security.
Berlin instituted a crackdown on terror-supporting protests in opposition to Israel, and ordered the deportation of several activists.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Israel last December, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after Germany lifted a three-month suspension on arms export approvals for weapons to Israel.
At the time of the visit, Merz said Germany had no plans to recognize a Palestinian state “in the foreseeable future.”
Austria, which won a seat alongside Portugal, has also generally been supportive of Israel in international forums. However, analysts noted that Austria’s longstanding military neutrality and lower-profile role in global affairs may have made its support for Israel less central to perceptions of its candidacy than was the case for Germany.
Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who served during the Israel-Hamas war, is currently president of the U.N. General Assembly, a role that had fueled expectations that Germany would perform strongly in the vote.
