New poll shows one in three Germans say Israel acts like Nazis, in breach of International Definition of Antisemitism

A new poll has revealed that one in three Germans believe that Israel acts like the Nazis.

Bertelsmann Stiftung, an independent German foundation, surveyed thousands of Israelis and Germans to explore relations between the countries, but also examined antisemitic views among the German public.

To the statement, “What the State of Israel is doing to the Palestinians today is in principle no different than what the Nazis in the Third Reich did to the Jews,” 36 percent of respondents said that they agreed or strongly agreed. A further quarter of those polled said that they did not know, leaving only 40 percent who disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

Responding to another question, 24 percent of Germans polled said that Jews have too much influence in the world, whereas 62 percent disagreed, with the balance saying that they did not know.

The survey also, however, found that a large majority of 82 percent agreed with the statement that “Jews naturally belong in Germany”, while 13 percent disagreed and 5 percent said that they did not know.

With regard to the statement that Germany “has a special responsibility for the Jewish people,” 58 percent of Israelis agreed or strongly agreed compared to only 35 percent of Germans, while 25 percent of Israelis and 33 percent of Germans said that they “partly agree”. 31 percent of Germans and 11 percent of Israelis disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Asked about the statement, “Almost 80 years after the end of the Second World War, we should no longer talk so much about the persecution of the Jews under the Nazis, but finally put the past behind us,” 49 percent of Germans agreed while only fourteen percent of Israelis did. 33 percent of Germans and 60 percent of Israelis disagreed. The rest were undecided.

The study reportedly found a correlation between lower levels of formal education levels and prejudices against Jews.

The research was conducted in 2021 but only released last week.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout Europe.