Scholz: Germany's 'only place' now is at Israel's side
October 12, 2023
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday delivered a statement on the situation in Israel, following Hamas' deadly terror attack over the weekend. The German leader said his country's "only place" right now is at Israel's side.
More than 1,300 people were killed in the large-scale attacks that saw thousands of rockets fired from Gaza and then hundreds of Hamas militants entering southern Israel.
'We share your suffering' — Scholz
"Over 1,000 citizens of Israel have been killed in these terror acts. Thousands of them were severely injured and are fighting for their lives in the hospitals of Israel. In a country with 9 million inhabitants, that means that nearly everybody knows one of the victims," Scholz said in a speech at the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.
"In the whole country of Israel currently, there is mourning … Dear friends in Israel, we mourn with you and we share your suffering," the chancellor said.
Scholz slammed the actions of Hamas and said Israel was entitled to defend itself.
"We condemn the terrorists and we say very clearly, Israel has the right under international law to defend its citizens against such acts of barbarism," he said.
"The safety in Israel and for Israel must be restored, and that is why Israel must have the capacity to defend itself. At the moment there is only one place for Germany, the place, side by side with Israel. This is what we mean when we say the security of Israel is Germany's raison d'etre."
Scholz warned countries in the region not to show hostility against Israel and said, "It would be a mistake to attack Israel, and that mistake would not be forgiven."
Scholz said the Hamas attacks had repercussions and said that he had yet to see condemnation from Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
"I say, your silence is a disgrace and all our development cooperation with Palestinians will be reexamined, and we will see how our projects can support peace in the region and support the security of Israel.
"Until this review is completed, we will not provide any new development cooperation funds," Scholz added.
Scholz condemns glorification of Hamas attacks
Scholz spoke of the solidarity with Israel that had been seen on the streets of Germany and also condemned those in Germany who "glorified and celebrated" the attacks, saying such action runs contrary to the country's values.
"We are not going to tolerate hate and instigation," Scholz said.
The chancellor said all Hamas activities in Germany would be banned and authorities would prosecute anyone involved in such activities. The pro-Palestinian group Samidoun would also be outlawed.
A debate on the terror attacks launched by Hamas, which has been designated as a terror organization by the EU, US and Israel, among other governments, followed the chancellor's address.
Scholz's governing coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), as well as the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), are submitting a motion for a resolution that calls for Israel to be given "full solidarity and all support."
Call for solidarity
On Wednesday, Scholz called on Germans to show solidarity with the country's Jewish population.
"I ask for the support of all citizens so that together we can guarantee the safety of our Jewish fellow citizens, and to do this we must show solidarity with them," Scholz said on ARD television.
"We can't accept it," Scholz said, speaking of the antisemitic messages heard at pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in Germany.
kb/sms (AFP, dpa)
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