The interview with Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor in Berlin took place on April 21, Israel’s Day of Remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror. Prosor began by pointing to the heavy security around the Israeli embassy, saying it illustrated how Israeli diplomats must operate abroad. He also recalled that since Israel’s founding in 1948 the country has been nearly constantly engaged in conflict.
Prosor warned that Iran represents an existential threat to Israel and a broader danger to Europe. He said long negotiations had not halted Iran’s nuclear program and argued that Tehran’s ballistic missiles had been transferred to Moscow and used in the war in Ukraine, thereby posing a threat to European security. He accused Iran’s rulers of pursuing a policy aimed at the annihilation of the state of Israel, and said the same lethal ideology can be seen in groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Asked whether Israel is safer after the military operations launched following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Prosor said the regional picture has already changed. He noted a Lebanese government that is less influenced by Hezbollah, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s alignment with Moscow, and what he described as a weakening of Iran and its proxies. Taken together, he said, these shifts create an opportunity to reshape the region.
Prosor acknowledged strains in relations with Germany. He pointed out that the last full German-Israeli government consultations took place eight years ago and that Berlin has publicly criticized Israeli actions in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. At the same time, he stressed that Germany sent high-level delegations to Israel after October 7 — including visits by the president, the foreign minister and the chancellor — gestures he said were unmatched among European partners.
On the question of a two-state solution, Prosor criticized politicians who repeat the formula without substance. He recalled serving as head of Israel’s Foreign Service during the 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, when he believed such moves might lead to peace. But he said his view changed after the October 7 massacre. Prosor said Israel will engage with anyone who genuinely seeks peace while keeping ‘the Shield of David’ — a metaphor for robust national defense — close at hand, because ‘only a strong Israel, a very strong Israel can achieve peace in this region.’
Prosor also weighed in on a recent controversy between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. After Merz warned of a possible de-facto annexation of the West Bank, Smotrich responded by saying the days when Germans dictated where Jews may live are over. Prosor defended Merz as a friend of Israel and criticized the timing of his remarks, which were made on Holocaust Memorial Day, urging greater tact and invoking the German term ‘Fingerspitzengefühl’ to describe the needed sensitivity.
This article was originally published in German.