Friedrich Merz: Politicians criticize him for “dirty work” expression

“This is the dirty work that Israel does for all”: Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) triggered criticism with statements about the Israeli attack on Iran – also at the coalition partner SPD. “This choice of words caused irritation in the SPD parliamentary group,” foreign politician Adis Ahmetović told the portal “Zdfhute.de”. Violent contradiction also came from Greens, Left and from the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance.

Merz had commented in a ZDF interview on the edge of the G7 summit in Canada. Moderator Diana Zimmermann used the word “dirty work” on her question and Merz picked up: “Ms. Zimmermann, I am grateful to you for the term dirt work. This is the dirty work, the Israel does for all. We are also affected by this regime. This Mullah regime has brought death and destruction over the world.” Merz also expressed “greatest respect” that the Israeli army or state leadership “had the courage to do that.”

SPD politician Adis Ahmetović, foreign policy spokesman for his parliamentary group, went at a distance: “The top goal in this highly sensitive situation is de-escalation. The tonality of the Federal Chancellor is not very effective at this point.” His SPD parliamentary group colleague Ralf Stegner told the “Spiegel”: “If the Chancellor says that Israel is doing the dirty work for us in Iran, this is more than strange.”

The opposition expressed even more clearly. The rapporteur of the Green Group for the Middle East and Iran, Luise Amtsberg, criticized both the choice of words and the content of Merz ‘statement. She said: “Instead of cynical and ignorant comments by the Federal Chancellor, I expect the Federal Government to do everything in this tense situation to de -escalate.”

Green politician Anton Hofreiter told the broadcaster World TV: “I think the choice of words is clumsy.” In Iran, 80 to 90 percent of people are against Islamist regime – “and in the attacks of Israel to Iran, civilians also die”. So you should choose words carefully, said Hofreiter. At the same time, he called it desirable “if the Mullah regime falls”.

Left-wing parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann criticized: “The fact that Chancellor Merz is now throwing international law overboard and in the devastating logic of a ‘right of the stronger’ is a scandal and damages Germany’s prestige with the United Nations and also massive.”

Merz ‘statements are a cancellation of the rule of law and international norms. “Most of us should not yet be clear where it can end,” said Pellmann of the dpa news agency.

BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht spoke of a derailment. Merz “legitimizes a war -contrary agency’s war of aggression, which hundreds of civilians in Iran have already fallen victim to,” said Wagenknecht. That is a break with the tradition of foreign policy moderation.

Merz apparently has no problem with the USA. “The Chancellor is not worth a syllable that a surface burn in the Middle East is now threatened,” said Wagenknecht. “There is no more double standards.”

In the German-Iranian community, Merz triggered stems. “Mr. Merz, you are not affected by this regime at all. First of all, 80 million people in Iran who have had to live under the deadly oppression of this regime for 46 years,” wrote the journalist Gilda Sahebi on Instagram. The Israeli government does not do the “dirty work”, that would do the many people who resisted the rulers. “By the way, bombs are hailing these people.”