Former German Political Adviser Calls for Germany to Get Tougher on Israel
Jose Nino
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Christoph Heusgen, the chief of the Munich Security Conference and an adviser to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has called on Germany to take tougher measures against Israel, declaring that Germany has a responsibility to criticize the Netanyahu regime when it breaks international law.
During an interview with the Financial Times, Heusgen sharply criticized Israel for resisting efforts to establish a Palestinian state and expanding settlements in the West Bank, which is occupied by Israeli.
Both policies represented a “violation of international law”, “as is the — to quote President Biden — indiscriminate bombing of Gaza”, Heusgen declared that both policies constitute a “violation of international law” in addition to the “indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.”
He believes that in this case Germany “has the responsibility to call a spade a spade”. It should “exploit its good relationship with Israel to keep urging it to abide by international law”, he added.
Germany has received sharp criticism for its steadfast support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Berlin’s critics assert that its guilt over the Holocaust made it blind to Israel’s alleged atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
Per Palestinian health authorities, at least 26,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of Israel’s war launched in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack against Israel.
Germany has stood by Israel’s right to self-defense and opposed drives for bringing about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It has also backed Israel at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has put forward a case accusing the Jewish state of committing genocide in Gaza.
The MSC is one of the most influential forums for global diplomacy, military discussions, and talks concerning intelligence practices.
Heusgen still believes that Germany could still take a harder line against Israel. He called attention to how 153 countries had voted to establish an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the UN General Assembly in December and labeled the settlements on occupied territory as a “flagrant violation of international law.” Germany abstained from voting in this case.
When asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution, Heusgen declared that he did not know “how Israel envisages its future when it doesn’t want a Palestinian state and will have to erect high fences around Palestinian areas.”
Heusgen was Merkel’s adviser when she ínitially declared the idea that Israel’s security was Germany’s “Staatsräson”, or in its national interest. He explained that in this context the German state would not hesitate to supply Israel with all the weapons it needed to defend itself from its enemies.
However, Heusgen said that this German policy also meant that Germany would be allowed to criticize Israel.
“If we arrive at the view that the way the Israeli government is behaving endangers the country’s security, we have to come out and say that,” he proclaimed. “I don’t believe that continuing to violate international law by building settlements strengthens Israel’s security.”
Such remarks by Heusgen would be branded as “anti-Semitic” in the Clown World polity that is the modern-day West. However, they are reasonable suggestions for any nation that wants to pursue a rational foreign policy based on realism and restraint.
If the West wants to avoid sleepwalking into a Middle Eastern war on Israel’s behalf, it must start questioning its “special relationship” with the Jewish state.
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