New German citizens must declare Israel’s right to exist

On Tuesday, Germany enacted a landmark citizenship law that explicitly requires applicants to affirm the state of Israel’s right to exist.

“Anyone who shares our values and makes an effort can now get a German passport more quickly and no longer has to give up part of their identity by giving up their old nationality,” said interior minister Nancy Faeser on Tuesday.

“But we have also made it just as clear: anyone who does not share our values ​​cannot get a German passport. We have drawn a crystal-clear red line here and made the law much stricter than before,” she added. 

“New test questions have been added on the topics of antisemitism, the right of the state of Israel to exist and Jewish life in Germany,” the interior ministry said.

The test will not ask prosepective citizens to affrim the right of a Palestinian state to exist.