German leader backs Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza ceasefire

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on November 2nd.

In a post on X, Merz stated that he and Netanyahu “agreed that the ceasefire in Gaza must hold,” before adding, “people there need safe humanitarian access, and Hamas must finally return the remains of the last hostages.”

This is despite Israel being accused of violating the ceasefire nearly 200 times since it came into effect on October 10th. Violations include refusing to fully withdraw from Gaza, ongoing strikes and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.

Merz’s support for Israel came days after Germany’s Education Minister, Karin Prien, sparked outrage after footage emerged of her visiting a museum in Israel where a “Greater Israel” map was in the background; the map depicted Palestinian and Syrian territories as part of Israel.

Palestinian-German representative Jules El Khatib stressed that the video “strengthens the narrative of radical right-wingers in Israel who erase Palestine, want to deport its population and dream of a ‘Greater Israel.”

Germany has historically been a long-standing ally of Israel, including in 2023 when the country provided Israel with 326.5 million Euros worth of arms, making Germany the second-largest supplier of arms to Israel after the US.

Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, has described Germany as “Israel’s most important ally in Europe.” He stressed that the nations share a “true friendship.”

However, Merz announced a suspension of all military exports to Israel “until further notice” on August 8th, reportedly in response to Israel’s plan to completely occupy the Gaza Strip.

Middle East Eye and agencies reported on March 1st 2024, that Nicaragua filed a case against Germany, alleging to the International Court of Justice that Germany was complicit in genocide in Gaza due to its economic, political and military support to Israel.

A UN report found that over 60 nations were complicit in the “collective crime” of enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Germany was among the European nations where trade with Israel had increased during the war on Gaza.

According to Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel’s genocide is a “collective crime, sustained by the complicity of influential Third States that have enabled longstanding systemic violations of international law by Israel”.

“Framed by colonial narratives that dehumanise the Palestinians, this livestreamed atrocity has been facilitated through Third States’ direct support, material aid, diplomatic protection and, in some cases, active participation.”

Israel was found to be committing a genocide against the Palestinian people on September 16th, after a UN Commission of Inquiry cited evidence which included large-scale killings, forced displacement, aid obstruction and the destruction of a fertility clinic.

Middle East Eye and agencies, Al Jazeera, Maghrebi.org