Chancellor Scholz warned in the Bundestag of a conflagration in the Middle East. He also emphasized the importance of humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip. When it comes to migration policy, he spoke out in favor of limiting the influx of people.
In a government statement, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed Germany’s solidarity with Israel. In the biggest crisis in the Middle East in decades, Germany’s place is “firmly on Israel’s side,” said Scholz. However, the conflict must not escalate further, for example with the Shiite militia Hezbollah entering the war in Lebanon or Iran. Scholz once again called on the terrorist organization Hamas to release the hostages kidnapped from Israel. “They must be released without preconditions,” he said.
However, Scholz also emphasized the importance of humanitarian aid for the residents of the Gaza Strip, who are also victims and hostages of Hamas. After his trip to Egypt, he had the impression that the supply of food, water and medicine could be successful, said Scholz. Israel and Egypt had previously declared that they would allow aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip. However, the Rafah border crossing, which is operated by Egypt, is not yet open.
Baerbock flies to the Middle East
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock set off for another round of crisis diplomacy in the Middle East. “The fight is against Hamas, not the Palestinian civilian population,” who are suffering enormously, said Baerbock before departing for Jordan. Other planned stops include Israel and Lebanon. Baerbock appointed a special envoy for humanitarian aid issues to coordinate support for the people in the Gaza Strip. The government is also working intensively on the release of the Hamas hostages, including Germans.
Scholz wants to limit migration
In the Bundestag, Scholz confirmed that he wanted to limit the number of people entering Germany irregularly. To achieve this, the EU’s external borders would have to be better protected and rejected asylum seekers would have to be deported more quickly. He hopes that after the EU states, the EU Parliament will now also agree to the reform of the Common European Asylum System.
At the national level, Germany is currently negotiating six “repatriation agreements” and more are being added, said Scholz. “I also asked that German diplomats and German ministers always address the issue,” he continued. In order for the countries to take back people deported from Germany, Germany offers in return the legal entry of workers.
In addition, the federal states are currently negotiating with the federal government about changes to asylum law. Representatives of the countries recently emphasized that they had already come very close. Decisions are to be made at a Prime Minister’s Conference at the beginning of November.
Ukraine can count on a winter package
According to Scholz, Ukraine can expect further arms deliveries and financial support. The summit of the EU states next week will focus on how the attacked country can be further helped, but also on how the EU finances its own financial aid. The German position is that not everything will be financed with additional funds, but there should be a “re-prioritization,” said Scholz.
Germany will put together a “winter package” for Ukraine – as it did in the last winter of the war. “Everything that is necessary for air defense is central,” said Scholz. He named the additional unit of the Patriot anti-aircraft system that Germany will supply, new IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, as well as additional “Cheetah” anti-aircraft tanks with appropriate ammunition. However, these deliveries were already known beforehand.
Scholz also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his statements on the Middle East conflict: He was “more than outraged” that Putin, of all people, had warned of civilian casualties. “It really doesn’t get more cynical than that.”