Up until recently, Germany has been seen as one of Israel’s main supporters on the European stage (admittedly, the bar is low), having previously pledged to ignore the ICC arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu and—less seriously though perhaps as symbolically—fighting against the barring of Israel from Eurovision.
But Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that he “no longer understand[s]” Israel’s objectives in Gaza and described the humanitarian situation there as “intolerable.”
We clearly stand by Israel’s side but we must not ignore the fate of the people in the Gaza Strip.
There must be no expulsion from the Gaza Strip, there must be no policy of starvation and there must be the active supply of aid and humanitarian goods.
Trucks with food and medical supplies have been entering Gaza over the past week following a blockade which Israeli officials described as “one of the central pressure tools that stops Hamas from using this means against the population.”
Monday (May 26) aid update:
🚛170 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing:
✔️Food aid ✔️Medical supplies ✔️Pharmaceutical drugs, including vaccines.
We will continue to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza while making every… pic.twitter.com/oKVOi4jE35
Netanyahu has also long characterised his war aims against Hamas as being the return of the remaining hostages, the laying down of Hamas’ arms, and the demilitarisation of Gaza.
Israeli ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said Merz’s words carried weight unlike those from figures who “constantly criticise Israel one-sidedly,” but stressed that “one thing is also clear: Israel cannot accept a second Hamas terrorist state after October 7th.”
There’s a dilemma: We’re supposed to rescue the hostages, provide for the people of Gaza, and fight the terrorists simultaneously. In Gaza, schools have been converted into weapons depots, mosques into barracks, and hospitals into command centers.
There are no easy solutions to complex problems. Those who criticise Israel must acknowledge this reality.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also said on Monday that Israel’s ambassador in Stockholm was being summoned over the aid blockade, saying that “we do not stand behind what the Israeli government is doing—absolutely not.”
Berlin Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has, however, stressed that Germany will continue selling weapons to Israel, while on a wider level the European Union is reviewing its cooperation agreement with the country. Germany was also reported to be against this move, which Netanyahu’s administration said reflected “a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
