Overview

• Interior Minister René Wilke acknowledged his July statement suggesting a new Israel-recognition requirement caused irritation and was misleading.
• The Interior Ministry clarified that a June information letter, coordinated with the Staatskanzlei, outlined guidance rather than creating a new obligation.
• Citizenship authorities may question applicants to resolve doubts about constitutional loyalty, including asking whether they recognize Israel as a sovereign state.
• The BSW coalition partner criticized the approach and requested clarification in the coalition committee after saying it was bypassed.
• CDU parliamentary leader Jan Redmann accused Wilke of misleading the Landtag, as Brandenburg did not adopt Saxony-Anhalt’s written pledge model.