This year, for the first time, ELNET-Germany and ELNET EU & NATO organized a joint delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Ten young leaders working for parliamentarians in the European Parliament and the German Bundestag joined ELNET for a five-day trip to Israel from 16 – 20 June 2018. All of them work with a connection to foreign and security policy, the Middle East, as well as cyber security and digitalization. The majority visited Israel for the first time.

The group went on a tailor-made five-day trip in order to meet various representatives from the Israeli ministries, the Knesset and the private sector. The young leaders had various political meetings to better understand Israeli internal political challenges and Israel's foreign policy approach within the region. The delegation also visited a civil society group at a Southern Moshav to better understand the challenges the communities have to face at the border region. Political meetings included exchange with Amir Ohana (Likud) from the governing coalition and Nachman Shai (Zionist Union) from the opposition as well as discussions with Maj. (res.) Arye Shalicar, Head of Foreign Relations, Ministry of Intelligence.

Accompanied by Col. (res.) Peter Lerner, military expert and former IDF spokesperson, the group also went on a strategic security tour to the border with Gaza. He explained the challenges at the Southern border and its development over the years, focusing a lot on the timeframe since Hamas took over in 2006. Afterwards the group also visited the Erez border crossing at the North of the Gaza Strip.

At the Cyberspark in the Negev—the Israeli Cyber Innovation Arena that connects the Israeli National Cyber Bureau of the Prime Minister’s Office, Beer Sheva Municipality, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, leading companies and the Israeli Defence Forces and the Cyber Week in Tel Aviv the participants spoke about Israel’s role cybersecurity.

When visiting Ramallah, the young parliamentary staff members had the chance to get a glimpse of life in the Westbank. With a young Palestinian entrepreneur, they talked about social life, political boundaries and doing business in the Palestinian territories. This meeting was followed by a political talk with PLO Communications advisor Xavier Abu Eid. 

On 14^th May 2018 ELNET-Germany celebrated the 70^th anniversary of the State of Israel in Berlin. For the third time ELNET-Germany organized an event in Berlin on the occasion of Israel’s Independence Day.

On a very complex day, dominated by news from Gaza, the focus was to celebrate Israel’s round birthday with and to honor the work of one of the most important press journalists of Israel, David Rubinger. ELNET-Germany personally met him during a delegation in 2016 – shortly before his death in March 2017.

The pictures of Rubinger stand for the long story of Israel. He chronicled the Israeli history from its birth of a modern state, its leaders, its triumphs, its tragedies and its people. He joined many military operations, peace talks and was well-known all over the country and beyond. He worked for “Time Magazine” and was awarded the Israel Prize, his country’s highest honor.

The pictures of David Rubinger were a generous private lend by Gisela Kayser, who serves as Chairwoman of the NGO “Friends of the Willy-Brandt-House”, and was a close friend of the photographer. 

ELNET partnered also with the Twin Wineries Initiative. This initiative brings together German and Israeli wineries. Initiated in 2008 by Renée Salzman, today more than 20 wineries from Germany and Israel regularly meet and exchange their ideas and foster the relationship between Germany and Israel.

In a loose and relaxed atmosphere with German and Israeli wines from the Israeli Twin Wineries Initiative, the event attracted about 200 guests from politics, society, Jewish community, political think tanks and foundations, media, science or culture. Among the guests, more than 20 parliamentarians from different parties of the German Bundestag were present. Also, members of federal and state governments such as Parliamentary State Secretaries, diplomats from the Israeli Embassy and young political leaders working in the German Bundestag or the Ministries. 

The event took place in the APARTMENT BAR at the AMANO Grand Central Hotel.

ELNET-Germany and the Forum of Strategic Dialogue (FSD) in partnership with the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) conducted the Fifth Germany-Israel Strategic Forum which was held November 28-29, 2017 in Berlin. This year, the event was co-hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Defense (FMoD). The conference focused on a range of security and political topics, including new international order, Iran-Saudi rivalry and its effects on the region, challenges for Germany and Israel in countering radicalization and terror, lessons from the Syrian conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the state of bilateral relations.

In November 2017, ELNET Germany organized together with the International Journalist Program (IJP) a delegation of journalists to Israel. As opinion leaders of major German outlets these individuals shape the view of Germans, particularly politicians, on Israel daily and are therefore one of our prime audiences for our cause. The delegation included journalists from the newspaper “Der Tagesspiegel”, DPA (German Press Agency), ARD Digital (Public TV/Radio station) and Thüringer Allgemeine among others. 

The programme of the delegation included meetings with Emmanuel Nahshon, Spokesperson of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs who gave the group an overview of the German-Israeli relationship, Micky Rosenfeld, Foreign Press Spokesperson for the Israeli police who informed the journalists of the security situation in Jerusalem and MK Amir Ohana.

The group also visited Ramallah and Rawabi for meetings with member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Hanan Ashrawi and Bashar Masri, Founder of the first Palestinian-planned city of Rawabi aimed at giving the delegates a complete picture of the players in the region. 

The meetings at the the Land Crossings Authority at the Gaza border, as well as with the peace activist Hila Fenlon from Netiv HaAsara and security expert Amos Harel gave the group an insight into the security situation on the ground. The program was concluded by a dinner with Israeli journalists and German foundations.

In 2017, ELNET-Germany organized its second Alumni Event in Berlin right before the federal elections on September 24, 2017. Together with Volker Beck MdB (Alliance 90/The Greens), Stephan Liebich MdB (The Left) and many young leaders who joined ELNET on a delegation to Israel, ELNET-Germany discussed about the upcoming important German elections and the current relations between Israel and Germany.

ELNET-Germany strengthened its relationships to already established contacts and thereby showed that it builds up an internal alumni system. All guests were attracted by the great mixture of people and enjoyed discussions above party lines. 

At the beginning of the political summer break in Berlin, ELNET-Germany organized an Israeli cooking workshop for young professionals. About 25 young leaders from various parties and political institutions including professionals from the German Bundestag, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Defence attended the exclusive the event that promoted ELNET’s work in Berlin’s political landscape.

The cooking took place in a typical “Berlin-style” open kitchen with old industrial charm. The loose and relaxed atmosphere and the specific character of the event was highlighted by all participants and guests throughout the evening. 

In June 2017, ELNET-Germany hosted a unique delegation to Israel, thereby enabling a historic event. Celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the first football match between Germany and Israel in 1987, ELNET invited the football team of the German Bundestag (Football Club Bundestag, FC Bundestag) to play against a team of Knesset members. It was the very first soccer match of the FC Bundestag against the Knesset in 50 years of the team's history.

From the Israeli side MK Nachman Shai, MK Eitan Cabel, MK Yoel Hasson, MK Oren Hazan, MK Zouheir Bahloul as well as the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Affairs, Haim Katz and the Deputy Minister of Defense, Eli Ben-Dahan, were on the field. On the German side, Marcus Weinberg (CDU), Albert Weiler MdB (CDU), Alexander Funk MdB (CDU), Dr. André Hahn MdB (Die Linke) and Stephan Kühn MdB (Alliance 90 / The Greens) took part in the match and the delegation. The German team was supported by the 1990 FIFA football world champion Hans Pflügler, former FC Bayern Munich professional. Pflügler made his debut with the German national team exactly in the match against Israel on March 25, 1987.

The German team won 0-1 by a goal of Stephan Kühn – his first ever goal for the team. Various guests attended including Israeli football legend Mordechai Spiegler. A massive presence of media rounded up the event.

This program highlight was embedded in a tailor-made four-day trip getting to know people from politics, economics and society. In addition to a political meeting with Israeli Knesset member Amir Ohana (Likud) in Jerusalem, the delegation met with Erez Frankel Rubner of Start-Up Nation Central Ltd.

Additionally, they had meetings with Dr. Shmulik Bachar, from the foreign policy department of the Israeli National Security Council in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, and former Ambassador Gideon Meir. In addition to a cultural historic tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, the German Bundestag members experienced a Jewish-Arab coexistence tour in Jaffa with Camal Agbaria, advisor to the Tel Aviv mayor on Arab relations.

The delegation was particularly impressed by the conversation with Avraham Burg at the NGO Mifalot who was a Knesset member (Labor) and adviser to Shimon Peres. He spoke about his current work as a board member and founder of the NGO that was founded as Hapoel Tel Aviv FC’s social responsibility project in 1997.

The high-ranking political delegation from the German parliament visited Israel with ELNET in June 2017. The delegation, headed by Ansgar Heveling MdB, Chair of the Committee of Internal Affairs of the German Bundestag, consisted of seven members of the German Parliament including e.g. Dr. Stephan Harbarth MdB, Deputy Chairman of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union). The delegation participants were not only able to exchange their in-depth and profound knowledge regarding internal security issues, such as cyber security and counter terrorism but also pursue their personal interest in learning more about Israel in general.

Among others, the delegation had a productive meeting with Eran Etzion, Director of FSD and previously Head of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who gave the group an overview of Israel’s security situation before departing to Mount Carmel in Haifa for an IDF briefing to see the geopolitical realities of the country first hand. The trip to Haifa was concluded by a visit of the Arab-Jewish Cultural Center Beit HaGefen and offered its insights on Jewish-Arab coexistence.

Back in Jerusalem the group met in the Knesset with MK Yaakov Perry (Yesh Atid), member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee; MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), Member of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs and MK Yehuda Glick (Likud), Alternate Member of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee. A meeting with Chagai Tzuriel, Director General of the Ministry of Intelligence gave the group the opportunity to discuss intelligence challenges in Israel and Germany. The meeting with Prof. Boaz Ganor, Founder & Executive Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), gave the delegates a comprehensive overview on Israel’s Counter Terrorism approach. The parliamentarians further met with Mesila, an aid and information center for migrant workers and refugees and with Deputy Minister of Interior, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Mansour of the Palestinian Authorities in Ramallah.

End of April 2017, ELNET-Germany welcomed MK Amir Ohana who is a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and chairs the Subcommittee for Personnel in the IDF as a guest in Berlin. The whole visit took place in the light of German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel’s visit to Israel during the same days.

Amir Ohana met with various politicians and professionals as well as journalists. Besides personal and closed meetings with high-ranking political advisors from the federal foreign office and parliamentarians from the Bundestag, Amir Ohana was the keynote speaker at ELNET-Germany’s annual Yom Ha’artzmaut event. In his meetings, Amir Ohana talked about Sigmar Gabriel’s visit to Israel, the broader security context in the middle east including Syria, interior politics of Israel, German-Israeli relations as well as cooperation of the intelligence services. ELNET-Germany further organized a lunch meeting entitled “What can Europe learn from Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Policy?” with more than 20 members of the Parliamentary Staffers Association on Foreign and Security Politics and the German-Israeli Staffers Association of the German Bundestag.

In 2017 ELNET-Germany presented former Director of the Political Military and Policy Bureau of the Israel Ministry of Defence, Amos Gilead on the Munich Security Conference (MSC). In a lunch briefing on “Terrorism at Home: Challenges and Opportunities for Israel and Europe” he explained the Israeli threat environment and its impact on the broader regional security environment. The audience was especially interested in the Israeli approach towards Daesh.

Active as well as former ministers of Germany, various German MPs, NATO officials, international press as well as ELNET-Germany partners participated in an active debate with Amos Gilead.

The quality of the audience present at ELNET’s lunch discussion underlines how important the close cooperation with Israel for Europe’s and Germany’s elite is. It shows eminent interest for Israel as well as for ELNET-Germany at the MSC. Amos Gilead could further draw the attention of German politicians and officials to crucial securities issues related to Israel. All in all a successful event for ELNET-Germany. 

End of 2016, ELNET-Germany hosted Arye Shalicar, former spokesman of the Israeli army (IDF) as well as the head of the IDF spokesperson's Europe desk.

In a breakfast meeting Mr. Shalicar talked about his life in Berlin before he decided to immigrate to Israel and joined the army. He shared insights on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and gave his view on the geopolitical realities in the Middle East.

ELNET-Germany also organized a press meeting with representatives from Der Spiegel, BBC World, the German public broadcaster ARD and others. The guests were thankful for Arye Shalicar’s lively description of his past in Berlin and his brief description of the current situation in the Middle East. Being among peers, the discussion revolved also around media coverage of war zones and the media strategy of the IDF. The visit has been concluded by a dinner with representatives from politics and businesses. With a large audience having a political communication background, Arye Shalicar also spoke about the communication strategy of the army, the picture of Israel in the media and other related issues.

In December 2016, Knesset Member Merav Ben Ari from the Kulanu party visited Berlin with ELNET-Germany. She is chair of the subcommittee to care for homeless youngsters and informal education as well as member of the foreign and defense committee in the Knesset.

ELNET-Germany organized a breakfast meeting with policy advisors from the German Bundestag, professionals from ministries and analysts from political foundations like the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung as well as the German Institute for International and Security Policy (SWP) among others, entitled “How to Deal with the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? A Response from the Next Generation of Israeli Politicians”. Besides this, MK Ben Ari met with several MPs to discuss about the general work of German politicians and the current status of Israeli-Palestinian relations. In a dinner meeting, representatives from business and politics in Germany and Israel had a lively debate about the next political generation in Germany and Israel, the future relations between the two states and perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At the beginning of November 2016, the Cultural Committee as well as the Digital Agenda Committee of the German Bundestag were travelling to Israel. ELNET-Germany supported these organizing political and cultural meetings and events.

The Digital Agenda Committee received an interactive briefing at C4I and took part in a simulation of a cyber-attack. The parliamentarians could experience first-hand how the Israeli army deals in certain critical situations and understood the recruiting system within the Israeli army. After the meeting, the committee enjoyed a lunch overlooking Tel Aviv discussing the great potential of its start-up scene with the Executive Directors of ELNET-Israel and ELNET-Germany.

In the afternoon, the Cultural Committee experienced a tour in the old town of Jaffa and had the chance to learn more about Jewish-Arab Coexistence with Camal Agbaria, advisor to the mayor of Tel Aviv. The day was concluded with a dinner and briefing on the influence of social media on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Arye Shalikar, then spokesperson of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

For the first time, ELNET-Germany organized a mixed business and political delegation to Israel. Together with PARTNERS PARTNERS & COMPANY founder Samson Wollenberger-Schevitz, ELNET led a young chief of staff delegation to Israel at the end of October 2016. With this delegation, ELNET approached primarily younger parliamentary staff members and CEO assistants of Axel Springer, Telekom and Allianz who have great potential of becoming the next generation of political and business leaders in Germany.

The group went on a tailor-made five-day trip to meet various individuals from politics, economics and society. Besides meetings with political officials – amongst them a meeting with Dr. Shmulik Bachar, Foreign Policy Division of Israel’s National Security Council at the Prime Minister’s Office and MK Michal Biran from Awoda – the delegation gained insight in Israel’s high-tech and Start-Up scene. The meetings with Yahal Zakal from magma venture or Stephanie Cherrin from hub.raum Telekom and a pitch-meeting with three different Start-Ups in Tel Aviv showed the vivid and young business culture of Israel. The group also got the chance to visit Ramallah and the newly planned and build city of Rawabi. The trip concluded in a meeting with David Rubinger, a 93-year-old Israeli Time-Life Magazine photographer who impressed with photographic time journey through the history of the State of Israel.

The German government has redefined its country’s security policy interests, priorities and objectives and developed its toolbox in a new White Paper, published on 13 July 2016. In the process of presenting its new White Paper in Washington DC, London, Paris, Den Haag, Rome, and Israel, ELNET and the Forum of Strategic Dialogue (FSD) were asked by the German Ministry of Defense to host an expert roundtable with 10-15 high-ranking Israeli experts and academics in Israel.

On September 25th, the White Paper was presented by two of the most senior defense and foreign policy officials in the German government—Dr. Géza Andreas von Geyr, the Director General for Security and Defense Policy of the Federal Ministry of Defense, and Dr. Jasper Wieck, Head of the Defense and Security Policy Division in the Federal Foreign Office.

Apart from the unique chance to present the White Paper in Israel, ELNET hosted Dr. Géza Andreas von Geyr and Dr. Jasper Wieck for one more day prior to their official government visit.

ELNET-Germany, the Forum of Strategic Dialogue (FSD) and the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) organized the 4^th Germany-Israel Strategic Forum which was held September 13-15, 2016 in Jerusalem. This year’s conference was entitled, “Growing Instability in the MENA-Region and in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities for Israel and Germany.”  Together with BAKS, ELNET-Germany brought 16 German decision makers and professionals to the conference to discuss current foreign policy and security policy with their Israeli counterparts. For detailed information, click here for the report in German on the BAKS website.

On this year’s Israeli Independence Day, ELNET-Germany organized its first big-scale event in Berlin. The parliamentary evening attracted more than 100 guests including parliamentarians from different parties of the German Bundestag and the German Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group. Moreover, participants from earlier delegations joined ELNET at the event. ELNET also welcomed high-ranking guests from German ministries, including the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Foreign Office, as well as from the Embassy of the State of Israel.

Guest speaker of the evening was Dr. Yossi Beilin, former member of Knesset for Labor as well as Meretz and amongst others former Deputy Foreign Minister in Shimon Peres’ cabinet in the 1990s. He spoke about his life that also started in 1948, directly after the foundation of the State of Israel, about his personal history, his experience with a growing state of Israel as well as about his political work during the time of the Oslo Peace Process. 

As an official NGO-partner to the MSC, ELNET-Germany presented former Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni holding a lunch briefing on the topic “Shaping the Middle East – Challenges for Europe and Israel” in February 2016. MK Tzipi Livni contextualized the recent developments in the bilateral relations between the European Union and Israel and shed light on how Israel views the recent deterioration of relations. She also described the impact on the broader regional security environment. The event attracted members of the European Parliament, the German Bundestag, the House of Commons as well as various former Ministers of Foreign Affairs. ELNET-Germany led through the event with its Treasurer Ulf Gartzke moderating the event and Executive Director Daniele Nati making the concluding remarks. ELNET-Germany attracted a high-level and well-connected audience.  

With its first delegation in 2016, ELNET-Germany approached primarily younger MPs who have recently entered German Bundestag or local state parliaments. The delegation included two members from federal state parliaments who have high potential of becoming future political leaders and four members from the German Bundestag.

The parliamentarians from the parties the Greens/Alliance 90, SPD and CDU/CSU went on an intriguing tailor-made five-day trip getting to know people from politics, economics and society. On the top of all the political meetings – amongst them briefings with Israeli politicians in the Knesset and Palestinian politicians in Ramallah – the parliamentarians also got insights in the co-existence of Israelis and Arabs.

On a unique walking tour through Jaffa the politicians met with Dr. Thabet Abu Rass, co-Executive Director of the Abraham Fund, and Ali Waked, Director of the Youth Center Yefet 83, who showed how Arab and Jewish Israelis could live together. One of the highlights was a cooking event with Tom Franz, the winner of the widely broadcasted Israeli cooking competition Master Chef, who told ELNET and its guests not only about his way from a German law student to an Israel-devoted self-made cook, but also about Israeli culture and traditions.

Besides that, the parliamentarians have once again been impressed by Kevin Baxpehler, the head of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG office in Israel, who informed the delegation on the immense high-tech advancement and vivid start-up scene of Israel.