diplomacy
Baerbock landed in Israel – “call terror by its name”
“Hamas’ terror carries the risk of destabilizing an entire region,” warns Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visits Israel, which is in shock after the terrorist attacks by Hamas Islamists. She wants to send a signal of solidarity – and also talk to Germans.
Before her departure from Berlin early in the morning, Baerbock once again strongly condemned the attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas. “Hamas has committed terrible atrocities in recent days,” she said. The terrorist attacks are a brutal turning point. A new era has begun for the people of Israel. “It’s important to look and call this terror by its name.”
According to information from the family of the German citizen Shani Louk, who was allegedly abducted to the Gaza Strip, Baerbock also wants to meet her mother. The 22-year-old’s family announced in Sulz am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg, that the meeting would take place in the afternoon at a secret location. Shani Louk is said to have been taken hostage by the Islamist Hamas at a music festival in Israel’s Negev Desert.
Her mother, who comes from Ravensburg, again asked for help for her daughter in a video message on Tuesday. The young woman is seriously injured, but alive. The family believes that Shani Louk is in the Gaza Strip.
Fear of a wildfire
During her visit, the Green politician also relies on partners and neighboring states of the attacked country. “Hamas’ terror carries the risk of destabilizing an entire region,” warned Baerbock. “It is now important to prevent other actors in the region from adding fuel to the fire,” warned Baerbock.
Where there had recently been cautious approaches, the Islamist organization Hamas wanted to start a conflagration, said the minister. The background is Israel’s recent rapprochement with Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, which is highly controversial in the Arab world. It is suspected that Hamas specifically wanted to sabotage this development with its terrorist attack.
At a series of discussions in the women’s magazine “Brigitte” last night in Berlin, Baerbock said: “Now everyone is in demand. Israel’s closest friends, we Europeans, we Germans, the Americans, but of course also our direct neighbors” such as Egypt. It is a “spark of hope in this terrible time” that there have been rapprochements between Israel and other countries in recent months, especially Gulf states and above all Saudi Arabia.
Baerbock meets Israel’s Foreign Minister Cohen
The Foreign Minister wants to meet, among others, her counterpart Eli Cohen in Israel. The Foreign Office said that she would exchange ideas with her interlocutors in particular about the possibilities of supporting Israel. The fate of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas will also be discussed. The topic will also be further support for those German citizens who currently want to leave Israel.
Von der Leyen also visits Israel
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Israel on a solidarity visit. Von der Leyen will be accompanied by EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The politicians want to meet the Israeli leadership, von der Leyen said on the online platform X (formerly Twitter). Metsola wrote on X that terror would not win. “We can – we must – stop Hamas.”
Criticism of the departure organization: Warning of “absolute chaos”
In the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner,” Baerbock rejected allegations that her ministry had not done enough to ensure that Germans could leave Israel quickly. She referred to the difficult situation on site and the relatively high number of around 100,000 Germans and dual nationals in Israel. If everyone who wanted to leave the country had been asked to go to the airport, there would have been “absolute chaos,” said Baerbock.
Yesterday there were four special Lufthansa flights from Israel to Germany. This meant that more than 1,000 people were brought back, said Baerbock. Four special flights have been announced for today. The Bundeswehr is also preparing to be able to bring German citizens from Israel to Germany if necessary.