Germany secretly financed Israel nuclear program, report says

Germany secretly financed Israel nuclear program, report says

BERLIN — A newly published investigation by alleges that West Germany covertly financed a significant portion of Israel’s nuclear program in the 1960s and early 1970s, channeling funds through a disguised development initiative to avoid scrutiny.

The report, released in March 2026, says the government of transferred between 140 million and 160 million Deutsche marks annually from 1961 to 1973 to support construction and expansion of Israel’s nuclear facility in .

The payments were reportedly routed through the state-owned development bank (KfW) under the cover of “Negev development” projects, allowing both governments to bypass parliamentary oversight and limit international attention.

Adjusted for inflation, the total funding would amount to roughly €5 billion ($5.4 billion) in today’s terms, according to the report.

Historians have long identified as Israel’s primary partner in developing its nuclear capabilities, particularly in providing technical expertise. However, the new findings suggest that Bonn supplied crucial financial backing that sustained the project over more than a decade.

The investigation also cites a 1989 agreement in which the German government reportedly converted the loans into grants, effectively making the funding a long-term subsidy drawn from public resources.

The revelations have reignited debate in over the country’s post-World War II commitments to Israel, shaped by the legacy of the . Analysts say the findings highlight the extent to which strategic and moral considerations influenced policy decisions during the Cold War.

The report comes at a sensitive moment, as modern defense ties between Germany and remain a key element of regional security and European foreign policy. Officials from both countries have not yet publicly responded to the findings.