Israel’s security ‘Integral to German national Interest,’ says Wadephul

Before his inaugural visit to Israel, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) emphasized that Israel's right to exist and its security are “part of Germany's national interest”. On Saturday, he also reaffirmed the prospect of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine as the “best chance for peace and security”. Wadephul emphatically spoke out against the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Germany.

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Wadephul landed in Israel on Saturday evening, as German Ambassador Steffen Seibert announced on the online service X. The minister's trip, just a few days after taking office, comes 80 years after the Holocaust and 60 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel. On Israel's right to exist and its security, Wadephul continued in advance: “We must also reinterpret this commitment today, always in the light of our history and the international legal order, to which we are particularly committed.”

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“We are clearly on Israel's side,” emphasized Wadephul. However, “critical discussions about the policies of our own government and friendly nations are also part of our two democracies”. However, this should “never be misused for anti-Semitism”. The new federal government in Germany wants to “take decisive action against this and promote the diversity of Jewish life”.
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With regard to the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas on 7 October 2023, Wadephul reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence. “Hamas must end its fight and all hostages must finally be released,” he demanded. However, he also announced that he would be asking questions about the “renewed intensification of hostilities” by Israel during his visit. The CDU politician called for “a start to serious negotiations on a ceasefire with the aim of releasing all hostages and providing for the people in Gaza”.

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He pointed out that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “has now become unbearable”. In addition, "the Palestinians in the West Bank also need prospects for a political and economic future - so that hatred and extremism do not continue to find fertile ground", the Foreign Minister demanded. "How we can support the Palestinian Authority with urgently needed reforms will be just as much a topic of my talks as Israeli settlement construction."

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According to the Federal Foreign Office, Wadephul intends to hold political talks with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Sunday and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. A meeting with relatives of Hamas hostages is also planned. In Ramallah, Wadephul wants to meet the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Mustafa. The meeting will focus on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the region.

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On Sunday evening, Wadephul will travel on to London for a meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Poland, the UK, Italy, Spain, Ukraine and the EU. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the meeting will focus on strengthening Euro-Atlantic security and further support for Ukraine.