After serving four terms since 2005, centre-right Christian Democrat Angela Merkel will be replaced by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.
Three German political parties presented a coalition agreement on Wednesday, the main focus of which is addressing climate change, which will help Germany become a “pioneer in climate protection.” The parties include the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats.
The agreement determines the division of ministerial positions and major policy themes, and is an important step towards establishing a government after the departure from politics of Chancellor Angela Merkel, writes The Jerusalem Post.
The agreement also recapitulated earlier commitments in regard to ensuring Israel’s security and the fight against antisemitism. Moreover, for the first time, the agreement vows to promote Jewish life – a passage that was not included in the previous 2019 agreement.
“We will protect Jews and their institutions together with the federal states. It is a shameful and painful state of affairs in Germany that they must be permanently guarded.”
The government “will strengthen initiatives that promote Jewish life and promote its diversity, and combat all forms of antisemitism.”
The new agreement also pledges to block any antisemitic attempt that condemns Israel. It claims that Germany will continue to support the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, welcoming the normalisation of the ties between Israel and Arab countries.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany welcomes the agreements, claiming in a released statement that they are confident about the plans of the future federal government, as the fight against right-wing extremism and antisemitism is crucially important.