Gaza: SPD demands German evacuation flights seriously injured children

The federal government wants to go to an air bridge in Gaza participate. What can they bring?
An air bridge over Gaza is correct. However, it is far from sufficient and can only be a small piece of mosaic in the humanitarian and medical care of the people in Gaza. As long as there is no stable humanitarian corridor on the ground and the Israeli government further restricts access for truck convoys, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Children starve before our eyes. An air bridge is also problematic from a technical and political point of view.

To what extent?
The judgment of experts and aid organizations is clear: an air bridge is inefficient because only a very small amount of auxiliary goods can be transported. At the same time, access to the auxiliary goods thrown is often unsure for the population due to the lack of coordination on the ground. Political responsibility for the targeted humanitarian disaster is also shifted to the international community, while the Israeli government violates its duty to provide the civilian population in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.

What do you demand next to the air bridge?
It takes more than just emergency solutions. Unrestricted access for aid organizations is fundamental, which must be made under international supervision via land routes. A ceasefire must come into force with immediate effect. From our point of view, it is time to expose existing collaborations such as the association agreement in whole or in part. German weapons must not be used for operations contrary to international law.

There is no agreement in the coalition.
There are other options for greater commitment. A measure that has so far been much discussed, but urgently needed is the medical evacuation of, for example, seriously injured children. Germany’s contribution to this is currently around zero. Here we also have to coordinate with France and Great Britain that plan something similar. Spain passed a year ago, which should be a model. The instrument box of diplomatic and political action is large and, after 21 months, it is largely not exhausted.

In particular, the CSU brakes, fears that it is afraid to further heat the mood in this country with too Israeli -critical signals. Doesn’t she care?
Let me make one thing clear: We condemn with all the sharpness of any form of anti -Semitism as well as the glorification or relativization of the barbaric terror of Hamas from October 7, 2023 against the people in Israel. If there is such abnormal glorifies of crimes in our country, state violence must counteract this with full determination – as well as the rule of law has to act when national flags are burned in public places. The following applies to us: Protection of Jewish life in Germany and the commitment to Israel’s right to exist are not negotiable. But with this necessary clarity, we must not remain speechless elsewhere, for example, when it comes to naming blatant international law fractures.

The Chancellor has been warning Israel for weeks to comply with international law. Isn’t that enough for you?
They are reminders, yes. The speechlessness in view of the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population – whether in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank – has triggered a deep feeling of fainting among many people in our country. It should not be that empathy is perceived or exploited selectively. In particular, we are responsible for the suffering of the children in Gaza against the fate of hostages.

In the SPD there is also criticism that Germany has not signed a paper from 28 countries that Israel demands an immediate stop of the war. What should such papers bring?
I clearly said that the federal government made a mistake at this point. Such European initiatives set important signs. They strengthen the political pressure on both parties to the conflict, but above all on the militarily superior side. The fact that Germany refused to initiative weakens its role as an actor for peace and international law and thus also the European Union’s ability to act.

The pressure on Israel is one. Hamas is responsible for the fact that the hostages are not yet free. Why is that just under the table in the debate?
Hamas is responsible for terror and violence, which is undisputed. And we continuously demand the release of the hostages and a future for the Palestinians without the Hamas. The experiences of the past few months have shown that most hostages were released in the two phases of weapons.

We are far from that.
But that’s why we can’t stop pushing for an armistice. Waffe arrest and humanitarian agreements are not accommodating to Hamas, but an effective means of rescue human life – on both sides. Last week, even the ex-Geisel Keith Siegel warned of the ongoing Israeli military operation-this endangers the lives of the remaining hostages. It was fatal that the Israeli government unilaterally dismissed the agreement negotiated in Doha on March 18 of this year. This was a realistic chance of the release of hostages in favor of a military escalation. So far, this has not achieved any of the declared goals. So: The war and humanitarian suffering must be ended, and the hostages have to be released and international law restored.