War in the Middle East
Baerbock calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Egypt is Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s first stop on her renewed trip to the Middle East. photo
© Christoph Soeder/dpa
It is the foreign minister’s sixth trip to Israel since the bloody Hamas attack on October 7th. Again it’s about humanitarian aid, the hostages and the future. And about political signals.
Baerbock wants to meet her colleague Samih Schukri in the Egyptian capital Cairo this Monday. Baerbock wants to fly to Israel around midday – for her sixth visit since the bloody terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on the country on October 7th.
Baerbock called on Hamas to lay down its weapons. Hamas must never again bring the terror of October 7th to the people of Israel. “But this goal cannot be achieved purely militarily. And military action has its limits in international humanitarian law,” the minister warned the Israeli government. At the same time, she emphasized: “We stand by our responsibility for Israel’s security.”
The deaths of the people in Gaza and the suffering of the more than 100 hostages still held captive by Hamas are intertwined, said Baerbock. “The suffering must end for everyone.” The negotiations in Doha, the capital of the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, should finally lead to success.
The negotiations are about a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages who were kidnapped after the Hamas terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Another key point is the delivery of more aid to the suffering population in the Gaza Strip. The USA, Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Baerbock wants to meet Palestinian President Abbas in Ramallah
On Monday evening, the Federal Foreign Minister was scheduled to visit the Palestinian territories. In Ramallah, Baerbock wanted to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riad Malki. A meeting with her Israeli colleague Israel Katz was scheduled for Tuesday.
The Federal Foreign Minister once again called on the Israeli government to “finally open the border crossings to a lot more help.” Air drops or sea bridges for relief supplies are not a sustainable solution. A week ago, the German Air Force began dropping primarily food items over Gaza.
Baerbock warns of Israeli ground offensive in Rafah
“Burning concerns about a large-scale offensive in Rafah are fueling new hatred and making peace a distant prospect,” warned the Federal Foreign Minister. The plans for a ground offensive are internationally controversial because around 1.5 million of the more than 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip have found extensive protection there from the fighting in other parts of the coastal strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on Friday that he wanted to carry out an offensive in Rafah single-handed if necessary.
Their discussions will once again be about what a political horizon could look like, said Baerbock. “Only the prospect of a two-state solution with a reformed Palestinian Authority as a first step towards a democratic Palestinian state can offer people a life of security and dignity,” she demanded. The two-state solution means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. Netanyahu rejects a two-state solution, as does the Palestinian organization Hamas.
Violence by extremist settlers is likely to be an issue again
At the talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Baerbock is likely to once again address the violence perpetrated by right-wing extremist Israeli settlers. According to media reports, Israel’s civil administration has declared 800 hectares in the West Bank as Israeli state land. Among other things, hundreds of settler apartments are to be built in the area. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. The Foreign Office condemned the announcement on The settlement construction violates international law and “contributes to further tensions in the extremely fragile situation.”
UN Security Council wants to discuss ceasefire resolution
The UN Security Council wanted to discuss a resolution again on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. A vote on the matter in the United Nations’ most powerful body was postponed at the last minute on Saturday. The draft resolution calls for an “immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, respected by all sides.” This should lead to a “permanent and sustainable ceasefire”. The Islamic fasting month began on March 10th and is scheduled to end on April 9th.