Steinmeier urges Israel to comply with international law

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on the Israeli government to adhere to international rules for the protection of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. Israel must lift the blockade on humanitarian goods - “not at some point, but now”, Steinmeier said at a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Berlin on Monday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) also expressed his concerns about the humanitarian situation of the Palestinians in the area, according to government sources.

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The reason for Herzog's visit was the establishment of diplomatic relations exactly 60 years ago. Steinmeier described the resulting German-Israeli friendship as a “political miracle”. Herzog thanked Germany for its reliable support for his country. “As friends of Israel, we suffer with the people, we suffer in particular with the Hamas hostages and their families,” Steinmeier said at a dinner for Herzog in Bellevue Palace on Monday evening. “But as friends of Israel, we not only suffer with them, we are also concerned about the way out of the suffering.”

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“Israel's enemies do not abide by the rules, but we must,” Steinmeier continued. “As democracies and constitutional states, we must not overlook the piling suffering among Gaza's civilian population, starving children and desperate mothers.” He continued: “Without the search for peace, war and occupation will be suffering without end.”

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At a joint press conference with Steinmeier, Herzog spoke of “pride in the alliance with Germany”. Germany had “done more to strengthen Israel than any other country in the world except the United States - and that remains the case to this day”, he said. Especially after the bloody attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Germany had stood firmly by Israel's side. “After October 7, this testifies to the highest moral clarity,” said Herzog.

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Both presidents admitted in the press conference that there were differences of opinion between the countries, but that these would be discussed amicably. Steinmeier expressed his concern about Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip and called for a ceasefire and immediate access for humanitarian goods for the Palestinian civilian population in the area. “I am very aware that looking at the present is anything but hopeful in these difficult times,” said Steinmeier. The German-Israeli anniversary was “not carefree”, he added. “There can hardly be a great mood of celebration - and how could there be?”

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President Herzog placed Israel's self-defense in a wider context: “Even in these days, Israel is the bulwark of the West,” he said. His country acts as a “bulwark of freedom, democracy, humanity and humanity” - especially against Iran, which is “imbued with a terrible anti-Semitic motivation to destroy the state of Israel”. Hamas acts as an “extended arm of Iran”.

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In the morning, Steinmeier had received the guest from Israel with military honors. Before the festive dinner in Bellevue Palace, Steinmeier and Herzog had attended a German-Israeli youth congress and laid a wreath at the Berlin memorial “Gleis 17” in memory of the Jews who were murdered in National Socialist Germany. The two presidents plan to continue their joint program in Israel on Tuesday.

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Federal Chancellor Merz received the Israeli President for confidential talks in the Chancellery. According to the German government, during the meeting Merz called the friendship between Israel and Germany "a great treasure" that must be preserved 80 years after the Holocaust perpetrated by Germans. At the meeting, however, the Chancellor also expressed his concern about the renewed intensification of fighting in the Gaza Strip since March, as well as about the humanitarian situation in the area.

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The Chancellor also expressed his hope for successful negotiations on a ceasefire. In his opinion, the prospect of a two-state solution remains the best chance for peace and security for Israel and its neighbors, Merz said.