Germans most frequently googled questions that concerned them deeply. In the recent months of 2023, the ongoing war between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and Germany's role in it, dominated the majority of newspaper headlines and political discussions in the country.
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In the 16 federal states, there was significant interest in the developments in the Middle East. Nowhere else were people as keen to monitor the situation with Hamas hostages and attacks on the Gaza Strip as in Berlin.
Here's what Germans googled the most this year
Out of all German cities and regions, Berliners most frequently accessed Google and searched for "Israel".
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Israeli airstrikes, and the blockade of the Gaza Strip, tension in the capital of Germany is escalating.
This was followed by police repression at demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine and a rise in anti-Semitic attacks. Throughout the country, the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip reopened the conversation about Germany's "historical responsibility" to the State of Israel.
For instance, Saxony-Anhalt declared that individuals applying for a German passport would be required to officially declare their belief in Israel's right to exist. On December 10, two opposing protest actions took place in Berlin.
One was dedicated to supporting Israel, attended by Olaf Scholz. The other, near the headquarters of the SPD, was called "Solidarity with Palestine - No Weapons for Genocide".
The discussion on how Germany should act continues among citizens.
Top 10 Most Popular Google Queries from Germany in 2023:
- Israel.
- Earthquake in Turkey.
- Rammstein.
- Lion Berlin – a search related to the presumed "lion" that was on the loose in Berlin and Brandenburg in July and turned out to be a boar.
- Lützerath – a village evacuated to make way for the expansion of the Garzweiler II surface mine.
- Titan submarine.
- Taylor Swift.
- Train strikes.
- Bed bugs.
- Hamburg airport.
Many Google queries in 2023 were related to the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Many Germans were expanding their knowledge. Popular queries included:
- "What is the Gaza Strip?";
- "At what depth is the Titanic located?";
- "How do whales sleep?" was one of the most harmless and popular queries from Germany.
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Despite the ongoing war between Israel and the Gaza Strip being a major focus in German news and discussions, many Germans also demonstrated interest in other topics. However, questions related to the Gaza Strip continued to be popular on Google, such as "What is the Gaza Strip?"
As Germans contemplated their country's historical responsibility towards Israel, the topic of "Germany's historical responsibility to the State of Israel" was frequently searched on Google.
