The dirty work of Friedrich Merz: Don’t exaggerate it, Chancellor!

Oh, that must have felt good at the G7 meeting. Friedrich Merz from Brilon in the Sauerland is finally where he always wanted to do: in the arcane area of ​​world politics, a big one among large, including summit pictures in front of a summit landscape. Take that, Angela!

Obviously, the CDU Chancellor was also a powerful atmosphere at the G7 meeting in Canada. And he could be carried away by this mood.

When Merz was asked about the Israeli attack on Iran in an interview with ZDF, he replied: “This is the dirty work that Israel does for everyone.” He had “greatest respect that the Israeli army, the Israeli government, had the courage to do that.”

The statement is a verbal mistake. Because regardless of the intention, the wording appears almost cynical in view of the human sacrifices and the risk of a large Middle East war. The fact that Merz took up the term “dirty work” from the questioner does not change this finding.

In addition, it is simply undiplomatic to fully praise the attack of an at least equally controversial government of at least equally controversial government. A German Chancellor must be able to express the necessary solidarity with Israel in the fight against the aggressive mullah regime-especially if the alleged president friend from Paris is somewhat different. Or how was that again with the Franco-German axis?

But Merz was just Merz again: he told the approximate opposite of what was previously communicated. At the end of May, he had criticized Israel unusually hard because of his procedure in Gaza and said: “If boundaries are exceeded, where the humanitarian international law is now really violated, then Germany must also say something about it.” In any case, he said Benjamin Netanyahu several times: “Don’t exaggerate it!”

In this choice of words, too, that was quite about it. Or to tip like this Chancellor: The only thing you can rely on at Merz is his habit to get in unreasonable formulations. Sometimes he looks to quote him like a small pasha.

That’s a shame. Because actually it is only possible to welcome if a Chancellor clearly draws position instead of joking or noticing things. But this position should not constantly change due to the event. And it should be communicated wisely.

Friedrich Merz is no longer opposition leader. He is head of government of the largest democratic state in Europe. He now has to leave the rhetorical dirt work to others. Or to say it again in Merz’s words: Don’t exaggerate it, Chancellor!