CDU politician criticizes diplomats: Israel and Gaza in focus!

CDU politician criticizes diplomats: Israel and Gaza in focus!

The debate about German Middle East policy is taking on more concrete features: Jürgen Hardt, an experienced foreign policy expert for the CDU, commented on the current developments on Deutschlandfunk. Loud Deutschlandfunk Hardt particularly praises the frequent contact between Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and his Israeli counterpart. He sees this networking as central to the Federal Government's efforts to maintain direct communication with Israel and the Gaza Strip and to clarify important humanitarian issues.

But things aren't all that harmonious in the depths of the Foreign Office. Hardt reports on diverging opinions that exist within the authority on the issue of Israel. A group of around 130 younger diplomats have joined forces in a call calling for a more critical stance towards the Israeli government, particularly in view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Hardt cannot imagine that these diplomats would actively oppose the Foreign Minister.

Humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip

The situation in the Gaza Strip is now alarming: the Israeli military has been blocking aid deliveries for over two months, leading to shortages of food, water and medicine. In a conversation ZDF the extent of the crisis became clear. The FAO warns of a worsening famine that could affect 2.1 million people. Federal President Steinmeier visited Israel to show understanding for the country's right to self-defense; However, he also calls for the protection of the civilian population in Gaza.

Hardt demands that Germany support arms deliveries to Israel and accuses Hamas and Hezbollah of being a threat. However, he points out that a permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip would be contrary to international law. At the same time, he stressed the need to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and to resume aid deliveries.

Conflict and supply

Despite the serious allegations against the Israeli government, German policy remains consistent in its support for Israel. Hardt avoids the specific question of possible war crimes in the Gaza Strip and describes the situation there as one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes, as Thorsten Schroer, a paramedic, impressively describes. He reports on his time in Gaza and points out that not all aid goes only to Hamas, which puts the one-sided narrative in the reporting into perspective.

The ongoing blockade of aid deliveries, which the UN describes as the worst humanitarian crisis since the start of the war, means that the collective punishment of Gaza's residents is becoming increasingly clear. Hardt and the federal government see it as their responsibility to find a balance between supporting Israel and helping the civilian population in the Gaza Strip in order to defuse this ongoing crisis.