More than 70 German academics from various disciplines have issued a powerful open letter to the German federal government, accusing the German government of aiding and abetting the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
The signatories, who include professors from leading universities across Germany and Europe, demand immediate political, economic, and legal action to hold Israel accountable, and to stop what they describe as Berlin’s growing complicity in one of the greatest crimes of the 21st century.
"For 20 months, Germany has been supporting (politically, financially, and militarily) … the extermination and expulsion of the Palestinian population,” the letter states.
Published on June 21 and addressed to top government officials including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the letter comes at a time of intensifying global legal scrutiny of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
“As long as you... refuse to acknowledge this reality and take appropriate action, you... will remain complicit in this crime.”
The letter references the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling that it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing over 55,000 official deaths and an estimated 250,000 direct and indirect victims due to Israel’s military operations and blockade. These include the collapse of healthcare and water infrastructure, deliberate starvation policies, and widespread displacement.
The authors reject the framing of these actions as self-defence, asserting instead that they reflect a longstanding goal of displacing Palestinians from their land, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank.
“For 20 months, we have been witnessing this horrendous genocide "live" every day, while German politics keeps on discussing and acting as if detached from it.”
The academics call for a full arms embargo on Israel, a review of all diplomatic and economic ties, and the recognition of Palestinian statehood. They urge sanctions and the suspension of agreements that support occupation, and demand Germany support the ICJ and ICC in prosecuting war crimes.
The signatories argue that Germany’s stance undermines the very international legal system established after World War II in response to German atrocities.
But beyond the urgent calls for state accountability, the letter also signals a deeper rupture within German academia, a space where critical voices have long been silenced under the weight of historical guilt and institutional red lines.
The scholars point to a repressive climate in which public criticism of Israel is frequently equated with antisemitism, events are cancelled, and student-led protests face criminalisation.
“We demand an immediate end to the restrictions on academic freedom and freedom of speech in Germany,” the letter reads, warning that the suppression of dissent not only undermines democracy but contributes to Germany’s ongoing complicity.
Bravo to the German academics who have had it with Germany’s complicity in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians, Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention posted on X.
Full arms embargo, suspension of relations
Among the specific demands: a full arms embargo on Israel, suspension of diplomatic and trade ties, and unconditional recognition of Palestinian self-determination.
The letter also urges the German government to support the work of the ICJ and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, warrants Berlin has signalled it may not enforce.
The letter reflects mounting unease even within the German state itself.
Last October, nearly 600 civil servants from various ministries signed an open letter stating that “Israel is committing crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction to international law and thus to the German Constitution.”
The academics’ current statement builds on that momentum, but its publication also highlights the cost of speaking out.
“Critical voices on Israel’s actions and its occupation are being defamed using scientifically questionable definitions of antisemitism,” the letter states.
These conditions, they argue, are part of a broader political trend that erodes Germany’s obligations under international law, including its responsibility to prevent and punish genocide as a signatory of the UN Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute.
In calling for international protection for Palestinians, including safe zones, medical evacuations, and the admission of vulnerable refugees, the letter shifts the moral responsibility squarely back onto Berlin.
“Germany bears a special responsibility,” the signatories write, “particularly toward the injured, the sick, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the traumatised.”
