Soon after this meeting with the three Golan locals the issue of German participation in the discussions was brought up, with the contention being made that the Israelis were more involved and talking more and contributing more to the discussions.
One of the participants even went as far as saying that the program had been structured in such a way that the issues on the agenda, like the Holocaust, Israeli politics and international relations, were more familiar to the Israelis and that thus they would be the ones leading the discussions.
Others made the point that even during the first leg of the trip in Germany the Israelis were more vocal, and that the issues discussed there were more Israeli focused than Germany focused.
The feeling amongst some of the Germans is that this is fine, as they are on a steep learning curve, and that just because they are not as vocal as some of the Israelis, they are still learning a lot and that in itself is valuable.
And besides, the issues that Israel is embroiled in are complex and numerous, whereas, thankfully, Germans are not faced with daily existential decisions – and have not been at war for ages; the worst that can happen is a disagreement about what tax and budget policies to adopt. Israel on the other hand has been more or less at war all the time.
Thus, according to this argument, it is natural for the Israelis to talk more, argue more, and for the Germans to listen and absorb more.
Amir & Christian
