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Germany Reaching Out To Be Israel’s Valentine

A German deal to help Israelis in countries where Israel has frayed ties

by
Adam Chandler
February 14, 2013
(Flickr)
(Flickr)

Sure it’s a tumultuous relationship with a lot of history and terrible times, but for today, it seems relevant to note a nice story when it comes along.

Germany is proposing to help Israelis traveling abroad in countries that have less-than-stellar or no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel has diplomatic relations with 159 countries and forbids citizens from entering six enemy states, which leaves about 30 nations where Israelis could find themselves without any diplomatic or consular representation. Canada traditionally represents Israeli citizens’ interests in Cuba, but in most other countries Israelis are without an official address to which they could turn in an hour of need.



Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1965. Ahead of the upcoming jubilee, Berlin and Jerusalem are discussing various ways to deepen bilateral cooperation, especially in fields that improve citizens’ daily lives, according to German diplomatic officials.



Berlin’s offer of assistance, presented this week by the German foreign ministry’s director-general for legal and consular affairs, Franz-Josef Kremp, would not extend to issuing new passports to Israelis, German embassy officials in Tel Aviv said. Rather, the assistance would include help for tourists who have lost money, their travel documents or cell phones, or have become sick or injured and need to fly back home, as well as taking care of prisoners and repatriation of the bodies of Israelis who died abroad.

This might be particularly use for Israelis who have just finished their service and immediately find themselves personae non gratae in countries around the world.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.