In his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chancellor Olaf Scholz maintains a balance: he shows solidarity with Israel and yet clearly warns of the consequences of a further escalation of the war. This is not without contradiction.
Olaf Scholz can be warm. The Chancellor said he thanked his host for his “tireless” commitment to peace and security in the region. He is “a good conversation partner and a good friend”. This is how Scholz speaks in a press statement about the Jordanian King Abdullah II.
But Olaf Scholz can also be reserved. He thanks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the welcome. There have been a lot of phone calls in the past few weeks, but nothing replaces personal meetings, says the Chancellor with diplomatic politeness. It doesn’t get friendlier anymore.
Olaf Scholz in the Middle East, two countries in one day. A satisfied chancellor after speaking to the Jordanian king in Aqaba. A very matter-of-fact Chancellor after meeting the closest ally in the region, the only democracy and the head of government of the country whose security is German raison d’être. It’s a bit of an upside down world.
Netanyahu does not accept some allegations
It was clear that this would be a difficult visit. More than five months after the October 7 massacre, Israel continues to take action against Hamas and is reluctant to be talked into it. Not even from the German Chancellor. One can guess how the conversation with Netanyahu might have gone by the way the Prime Minister begins the meeting with the press: Scholz expressed his concern about the attacks on civilians and about a lack of humanitarian aid, Netanyahu reports on his own initiative. But then he immediately dismisses these objections. Like no other modern army, Israel strives to avoid casualties among the civilian population. And humanitarian aid fails not because of Israel, but because of the problem of distributing aid in the Gaza Strip. Still questions?
Other things are more important to the Prime Minister. Hamas must be eliminated. With the terrorist organization there is no secure future in the region. If its structures remain intact, it will regroup and repeat the massacre of October 7th – “again and again and again,” says Netanyahu, over and over again. Only the day on which the “genocidal organization” Hamas is eliminated will be the day on which “new opportunities” will open up for Israel and the region.
What Olaf Scholz has planned
What did Scholz say in response to this? What has he achieved? To do this you have to know what he has planned. The Chancellor began the day in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba on the Red Sea, where Abdullah II received him. The king and chancellor have known each other for a while, Abdullah visited Scholz in Berlin, and they last met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. So now another encounter. It was an “intensive and detailed conversation,” Scholz said afterwards.
Abdullah enjoys some respect in the region, but on the other hand he always has to fear domestic political pressure because many Palestinians live in Jordan. This is one of the reasons why the initiative for aid flights to supply the civilian population in the Gaza Strip from the air probably came from him. On one of the first flights, the king even appeared in the cockpit of the Jordanian transport plane.
Several Arab states are now taking part in the airlift, as are the USA and now the Bundeswehr. Even before the Chancellor arrived in Jordan, an Air Force transporter had dropped aid supplies from the World Food Program over the Gaza Strip for the first time. However, after the conversation with the king, Scholz made it clear that “far too little” aid was still reaching the Gaza Strip. Therefore, more border crossings must be opened while protecting Israeli security interests. “It’s about aid supplies, medical materials, of course there can’t be any weapons among them.”
“Do everything to prevent further victims”
The king and chancellor obviously agreed on the goals: There must be “a longer ceasefire,” the release of the Israeli hostages from the hands of Hamas and other kidnappers, and more humanitarian aid for the civilian population, says Scholz.
Above all, however, the Chancellor left Aqaba obviously encouraged by his intention to talk Netanyahu out of a large-scale Israeli ground offensive against the port city of Rafah. “We have to do everything very, very, very carefully to avoid further large numbers of victims,” said the Chancellor.
Scholz and other governments absolutely want to avoid a major offensive with bombing and ground troops. US President Joe Biden even spoke of a red line that Netanyahu should not cross, but left any consequences open. The Chancellor was asked in Aqaba whether Scholz would threaten sanctions against Israel. He didn’t want to go that far, but rather made it clear to friends that “a large number of victims would make any peaceful development in the region very difficult.”
Did he say that to Netanyahu?
During the press statements in Jerusalem, Scholz begins by remembering the victims of October 7th. The more than 100 hostages had still been suffering for 163 days, and their relatives and friends were living in “unbearable insecurity.” The Chancellor also remembers those murdered. They won’t be forgotten. “In these dark times, my country stands by Israel’s side,” said Scholz. The message was clear from day one: the hostages had to be released. “This cruel crime must end now.”
The high cost of legitimate war
The Israeli army has now destroyed large parts of the Hamas structure, says Scholz. But at what price? The number of victims rose “extremely high, some would say too high” in the five months of the war. This is a strange but deliberately chosen formulation. It leaves open whether Scholz also thinks that the number of victims is too high. The Chancellor does not see himself in the role of judging this publicly. However, “as a friend and partner of Israel,” he expressed his concern to the Prime Minister about the course of the war.
Israel’s goal of preventing a repeat of the October 7 massacre is legitimate. Nevertheless, the question arises as to whether this important goal justifies such high costs. Or whether there are other ways to achieve the goal.
“We cannot stand by and watch Palestinians starve”
The Chancellor then discusses the possible offensive against Rafah. There is a military but also a humanitarian logic. Where, the Chancellor asks, should 1.5 million people go to find safety? This is because, a day before Scholz’s visit, Netanyahu approved army plans to attack Hamas, but only after the civilian population had been moved out of the city. He also confirms this to Scholz. But is such a massive evacuation operation even realistic?
The Chancellor is also calling for more aid deliveries. “We cannot stand by and watch Palestinians starve. That is not us. That is not what we stand for together,” says Scholz. He also calls for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Scholz also addresses the prospect of a two-state solution, which Netanyahu rejects. Terror cannot be fought with military means alone; a political perspective is needed for both peoples. You can say: He gets rid of everything he has planned. “We support you,” said Scholz to Netanyahu, “with actions and with open words.”
But the Prime Minister reserves the final say. The Israelis are well aware of the costs of the war, he says, taking up the Chancellor’s words almost a little flippantly. Because the people of Israel also suffered from the consequences of the war. In order to end things amicably with one of the last allies on the international stage, Netanyahu says that Germany’s support is appreciated. And he is looking forward to continuing the dialogue.