Recent signs indicate that Israel is increasingly looking to Germany as a much-needed ally as threats to the tiny nation continue to mount.

Early last week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid a visit to Berlin. He did so in spite of criticism inside Israel’s parliament questioning why he would travel overseas while Palestinian terrorists in Gaza continued to fire rockets into Sderot and other Israeli towns.

While in Berlin, Olmert met with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the increased rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip as well as the need to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Merkel indicated Germany would support an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza in view of the incessant rocket fire, saying that Hamas stopping the rocket attacks was the only solution to the situation in Gaza and that Israel has every right to defend itself.

The hearty support is welcome news for Olmert, who has been trying to rally backing for a wider-scale operation in Gaza to halt the rocket attacks, but has seen Europe back away from supporting its policy in Gaza, thanks to a movement by the Palestinians and some in the United Nations and European Union to paint the situation as a mounting humanitarian crisis.

Germany is Israel’s second-largest supporter in terms of economic and defense ties, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency says. The Associated Press reports: “Germany is one of Israel’s staunchest allies in Europe. Merkel has stressed its commitment to the security of the Jewish state considering Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel rhetoric.” Merkel plans to visit Israel on March 17 and the German cabinet plans to hold a session in Jerusalem to mark Israel’s 60th anniversary as a state.

However, in light of the fact that Germany is also one of the single largest contributors of financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, the question is: Is Germany trying to play it both ways?

As the United States, Israel’s most important ally, continues to waver in its support for the Jews, look for Israel to increasingly reach out to Germany. The Trumpet has continually warned, based on biblical prophecy, that this will result in a cataclysmic double-cross. For more on this subject, read Nahum—An End-Time Prophecy for Germany and the February 2008 issue of the Trumpet.