The diplomatic uproar over the Der Spiegel report about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s despair over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of the ongoing construction in the settlements is not damaging Netanyahu politically. On the contrary. However, anyone who has spoken with senior German officials over the past two years knows that the claims that Germany is less inclined to unconditionally support Israel, which has since been denied (at least partially) by sources close to the chancellor, is a reliable reflection of reality. Germany, Israel’s most important ally in Europe, feels Netanyahu is leading it by the nose and taking it for granted while he keeps boosting the settlement enterprise.

Senior Israeli politicians, including those on the right, have been hearing the same thing for a long time. They sound like a cry for help from a true friend who is deeply committed to the relationship with Israel by historical bonds and a sense of guilt. Thus, the report in the German magazine came as no surprise. It seemed to echo the same past voices of despair and ratchet up the pressure on Israel to revive a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, or at least to stop construction in the West Bank.

A senior diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “I’ve been hearing this type of talk for quite a while. It seems to me that the Germans issued denials for tactical diplomatic reasons and out of reluctance to stir up a diplomatic crisis at this time, especially as we approach the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is a tense day in relations between our two states. But this crisis will break out into the open one of these days. It’s only a matter of time. Even Merkel cannot quash it forever.”

But even if this is indeed a dramatic turn in the diplomatic relationship, on the domestic political front it has no real impact on Netanyahu and on the right-wing government he heads — certainly no negative impact. Netanyahu’s public strategy is actually well served when he is attacked about the freeze in negotiations with the Palestinians, especially by a European state and certainly during a wave of terrorism.