Foreign support and opposition For decades, West Germany's allies stated their support for reunification. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who speculated that a country that "decided to kill millions of Jewish people" in the Holocaust "will try to do it again", was one of the few world leaders to publicly oppose it. As reunification became a realistic possibility, however, significant NATO and European opposition emerged in private. thumb|190px|Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had initially called for a united but neutral Germany. A poll of four countries in January 1990 found that a majority of surveyed Americans and French supported reunification, while British and Poles were more divided: 69 percent of Poles and 50 percent of French and British stated that they worried about a reunified Germany becoming "the dominant power in Europe". Those surveyed stated several concerns, including Germany again attempting to expand its territory, a revival of Nazism, and the German economy becoming too powerful. While British, French, and Americans favored Germany remaining a member of NATO, a majority of Poles supported neutrality for the reunified state.
foreign support and opposition for decades west germany's allies stated their support for reunification israeli prime minister yitzhak shamir who speculated that a country that "decided to kill millions of jewish people" in the holocaust "will try to do it again" was one of the few world leaders to publicly oppose it as reunification became a realistic possibility however significant nato and european opposition emerged in private thumb|190px|soviet leader mikhail gorbachev had initially called for a united but neutral germany a poll of four countries in january 1990 found that a majority of surveyed americans and french supported reunification while british and poles were more divided 69 percent of poles and 50 percent of french and british stated that they worried about a reunified germany becoming "the dominant power in europe" those surveyed stated several concerns including germany again attempting to expand its territory a revival of nazism and the german economy becoming too powerful while british french and americans favored germany remaining a member of nato a majority of poles supported neutrality for the reunified state