TEL AVIV - The humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip defies imagination, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who arrived in Israel today for an official visit, told AFP. He said Israel was obliged to send sufficient humanitarian and medical aid to the strip quickly and safely to prevent mass starvation deaths. Wadephul met today with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and then with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Yitzhak Herzog.
During his visit to Israel, the Minister stressed that the conflict cannot be resolved by military means alone. He called for a political solution that would include the disarmament of Hamas and the creation of conditions for a lasting peace. At the same time, he criticised the current approach of the Israeli government, which he said was restricting access to the basic necessities of life. Mr Wadephul pointed out that Germany supported Israel's right to defend itself, but that this support could not be misused for acts that violated international humanitarian law. He mentioned the possibility of suspending arms exports to Israel if they were proven to be used to attack civilian targets.
The German minister also criticised the attacks on hospitals and aid distribution centres. These interventions, he said, only deepen the despair of the civilian population and hinder international efforts to secure aid. Wadephul praised the efforts of international organisations and announced that Germany would support a humanitarian air bridge to Gaza. Along with the UK and France, Germany appeals to Israel to immediately lift the aid blockade and create conditions for diplomatic negotiations. Wadephul reiterated his support for a two-state solution and warned that displacing Gazans would be unacceptable.
He concluded by pointing out that legitimate criticism of Israeli policy must not turn into anti-Semitism. He called for a responsible international response to prevent a further escalation of the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. "According to Wadephul, people are starving throughout the Gaza Strip, with men, women and children being killed as they desperately try to get food. "This is a totally unacceptable situation that must change immediately," Wadephul told AFP after a meeting with Israeli officials.
"Israel must always find friends, partners and supporters in the international community. That is threatened by the current situation. And if there is one country that has a responsibility to prevent this, in my opinion it is Germany," Wadephul told reporters, according to Reuters.
During the meeting, Minister Saar told Wadephul that a Palestinian state cannot be established because Israel cannot compromise on its security. Saar's office said this, according to The Times of Israel. "We believe that Jews have the right to live in the heart of their historic homeland, including Judea and Samaria," Saar said, using the name some Israelis use for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 in violation of international law.
Wadephul will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday.
CTK/gnews.cz-jav
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