Several thousand Israelis have already applied for a German passport this year – significantly more than usual. This is possible through “reparation naturalizations” for those persecuted by the German Nazi regime and their descendants.
According to a report, more and more Israelis with German ancestors are applying for German citizenship. The numbers have risen sharply following the major Hamas attack from Israel on October 7 and the renewed escalation in the Middle East conflict, the report reported, citing figures from the Federal Office of Administration (BVA).
The office is responsible for so-called “reparation naturalizations”. This applies to Nazi persecutees and their descendants who were deprived of their German citizenship between 1933 and 1945. Since 2021, the circle of those entitled has been expanded to include people and their descendants who were never able to acquire German citizenship due to Nazi persecution. In most cases, these are Jews persecuted in the Holocaust.
Several thousand applications from Israel every year
According to the BVA, 6,869 applications from Israel had already been submitted in the first four months of 2024, reported the editorial network Germany. In the whole of 2023, the number was 9,129. In 2022, 5,670 Israelis applied for German citizenship.
In total, there were almost 14,000 applications for compensation naturalization in 2023, compared to just under 11,400 in 2022. So far this year, a total of 9,371 people want to become German in this way. By far the most applications come from the USA after Israel.
On October 7, fighters from the radical Islamic Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing more than 1,170 people and taking 252 hostages to the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli sources. Since then, Israel has been taking massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 35,900 people have been killed so far.
Source: Stern
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