Foreign Minister Baerbock is in Israel for the fifth time since the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas. After discussions in Jerusalem, she finds clear words.
During her visit to Israel, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a new ceasefire in the Gaza war. This would open a window of opportunity “to free the hostages and to get more humanitarian aid in,” said Baerbock on her fifth visit to Israel since the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th.
After talks in Jerusalem, she called on the warring parties to accept a proposal from Qatar and Egypt for a ceasefire and the release of more hostages. However, there had been no breakthrough so far in new talks in Cairo.
New warning of Israeli offensive in Rafah
Baerbock reiterated that an Israeli offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip would be “a humanitarian catastrophe.” People needed “safe places and safe corridors to avoid being further caught in the crossfire.” The people of Rafah “couldn’t just disappear into thin air.” More border crossings would have to be opened so that more aid and medicine could be imported. The UN employees would also have to be able to rely on security guarantees in order to be able to continue distributing aid.
Many of the more than a million people crowding into Rafah followed Israeli calls to evacuate and fled the fighting zones in northern Gaza, “often with nothing more than their children in their arms and their clothes on their backs.” Israel suspects the Hamas leadership and Israeli hostages are in the tunnel network in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Meeting with Israeli leaders
After her arrival, Baerbock was first received by her Israeli counterpart Katz. His office said afterwards that he thanked her for Germany’s continued support of Israel. “We have focused on the need to return all hostages and defeat the terrorist organization Hamas,” Katz said. They also discussed ways to ensure that humanitarian aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas.
He also told Baerbock that the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA “can no longer be part of the aid under any circumstances and that an alternative must be found.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Baerbock also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Jair Lapid for separate talks. A meeting with President Izchak Herzog is planned for Thursday.
Israel’s right to self-defense from terror
The security of the people of Israel from Hamas’ terror is just as important as the survival of the people of Gaza, said the minister. “Hamas’ terror has also brought nothing but death and suffering to Gaza.” If they had compassion for their own people, the Hamas fighters would immediately lay down their weapons, she said.
It is Germany’s responsibility to stand up for Israel’s right to self-defense within the framework of international law so that a terrorist attack like the one on October 7th can never happen again, said Baerbock.
Baerbock again advocates a two-state solution
Despite the negative attitude of Netanyahu and Hamas, the Federal Foreign Minister once again spoke out in favor of a political path towards a two-state solution. For the creation of a Palestinian state, security guarantees, a functioning administration and the reconstruction of Gaza are necessary.
The term two-state solution refers to an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects a two-state solution, as does the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.
Baerbock reiterated that Gaza should never pose a terrorist threat to Israel again. But the Palestinians should not be driven out of the area either. The territory must not be reduced, “not even through buffer zones on the edges of the Gaza Strip.” The Palestinian Authority needs to be reformed, but it can represent the foundation.
Marshall Plan for Gaza
The minister demanded that “a kind of Marshall Plan” is needed for the economic reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. This can only happen within an international framework. There is a common interest between Israel and its Arab neighbors “not to let the terrorists drive them apart.”
This Friday, Baerbock is expected at the Munich Security Conference. The Gaza war will be one of the main topics there, along with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Source: Stern
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