FDP and CDU/CSU view Israel resolution with skepticism
The UN resolution against Israel's crackdown in Gaza has only met with a positive response in Germany from the SPD. The FDP criticizes the "indifferent attitude" of the United Nations towards Jerusalem, while the CDU/CSU even sees a perpetrator-victim reversal.
The SPD has welcomed the UN Security Council resolution on the war between Israel and Hamas. "The most important body of the United Nations is quite right to emphasize the urgency of bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza," said the SPD parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesman, Nils Schmid, in the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper. A ceasefire was also "still necessary" in order to free all hostages. "We support every effort in this direction," he said.
The FDP reacted less enthusiastically. It was positive that the United Nations Security Council was making decisions again, said the FDP parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesman, Ulrich Lechte, to the newspaper. It was also "unavoidable to ensure supplies for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip". It was logical to use further border crossings for this purpose. Nevertheless, it was understandable that Israel wanted to check all flows of goods. Lechte criticized the United Nations. "The USA and Germany are Israel's closest allies, and the UN's indifferent attitude towards the only democracy in the region does nothing to change that," he said.
The CDU/CSU was even harsher. CDU foreign affairs politician Roderich Kiesewetter told the newspaper that the terrorist organization Hamas was making aid deliveries "impossible" in some cases. The UN resolution did not take this into account and "unilaterally attributed responsibility to Israel". Kiesewetter criticized: "But this is wrong and borders on perpetrator-victim reversal."
Baerbock sees Arab states as having a duty
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the "Tagesspiegel" that it was "crucial" for Israel's security that "the prospect of lasting peace is not lost" in the fight against terror. "Hundreds of thousands of children, women and elderly people are living in hell in Gaza. They have nothing to eat and are sitting in a field of rubble - without anything in the onset of winter," said Baerbock. Her talks were all about bringing the conflict to an end. Baerbock once again called for a two-state solution. "Israel can only live in security if Palestinians live in security. In the same way, the Palestinians can only live in security if Israel lives in security," she emphasized to the newspaper.
At the same time, she demanded that the terrorist organization Hamas "must lay down its weapons and release all hostages so that Israel is no longer forced to defend itself". It must no longer be accepted "that a terrorist organization hides behind hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians and children and sets up its terror cells in hospitals". The abuse of civilians as a "human shield" must be stopped.
Baerbock addressed her call for a "sustainable ceasefire" above all to the "neighboring Arab countries". A "joint effort with Arab countries against Hamas terror" was needed to end the "terrible suffering - especially of the Palestinians in Gaza".
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The SPD parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesman Nils Schmid, from the SPD, supports the UN Security Council's resolution calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza, while also advocating for a ceasefire.
Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister, believes it's crucial for Israel's security that the prospect of peace isn't lost in the fight against terror, and she calls on neighboring Arab states to join efforts in ending the conflict and its suffering, especially in Gaza.
Despite the UN Security Council's resolution, the FDP criticizes the UN's perceived indifference towards Jerusalem, stating that it doesn't change Germany and the USA's alliance with Israel.
Source: www.ntv.de
