Waverer or Mediator? German perceptions of the role of Israel after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, most countries in the global North have come under global media scrutiny to express their attitude toward the conflict. Subsequently, western allies were expected to actively support the emerging pro-Ukrainian coalition led by the United States and the EU. However, in the early stages, Israel was reluctant to make a clear statement about the conflict and tried to position itself as a potential mediator. Israel presents an important case for exploration not only for its complex interests with both conflicting parties but also for its balancing between the global powers in world politics. There is an increasing interest among IR scholars in the role of small states in the mediation, yet there is glaring lacunae in the literature on how other states perceive their mediation efforts. Therefore, based on small states' mediation theory, we explore how Israel tried to project its transnational appeal as a suitable mediator. Being a representative of the West and Israel's closest ally in the EU, we focus on analysing Germany and its media discourse. The traumatic past contributed to the fact that there exists a special relationship between the two countries and constant support for Israel has been one of Germany’s top foreign policy priorities. This study thus focuses on the perception of Israel's mediation efforts in leading German media, while utilising qualitative content analysis. We argue that despite the fact that Israeli mediation attempt in this period was very short-lived and did not have a practical implication for the conflict itself, it significantly improved the image of Israel’s media in Germany.