Applicants to be naturalized in the East German state of Saxony-Anhalt they will now have to declare in writing their support for Israel’s right to exist as a condition for their applications to be accepted.

The federal state’s local interior ministry set this condition in a decree to local authorities at the end of November, the state’s interior minister said today. Tamara Chisang (CDU) in Magdeburg.

The decree, which was obtained by the German news agency (dpa), states that the right to the existence of the Israeli state is Germany’s “raison d’être”.

“Acquiring German citizenship requires a commitment to Israel’s right to exist,” the decree states.

Therefore, applicants must confirm in writing immediately before naturalization “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any effort directed against the existence of the State of Israel.”

In the event that the naturalization application is accepted, attention should be paid to “if there are indications that there are anti-Semitic attitudes”, Chisang emphasized.

The decree states that aliens who pursue activities that oppose the liberal democratic legal order, as described in Constitution of Germany. This includes anti-Semitic offenses or the denial of Israel’s right to exist.

If applicants refuse to submit a written declaration, the naturalization certificate cannot be issued.

In recent weeks, German politicians have repeatedly described Israel’s security as Germany’s “Staatsräson”, arguing that Germany has a special historical responsibility to protect the Jewish people and support the state of Israel after Holocaust.