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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday, following up on his visit to Israel earlier this week.
“In these difficult times our place is at the side of Israel,” he said, while adding that civilians in Gaza were “at the mercy of Hamas,” and that providing humanitarian aid had to be part of any strategy moving forward.
“Israel has every right to defend itself, but we are very clear in our conversations with our friends in Israel that humanitarian aid also is part of the picture,” he said.
He said he spoke to Israel, Jordan and Egypt in order to “explore ways to make [humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza] possible,” adding that he stressed the importance of keeping the conflict “limited” in talks with regional leaders.
The chancellor said that everything had to be done to avoid further regional escalation, and that entry of Iran or Hezbollah into the war “would be a grave mistake.”
Releasing hostages a priority
Scholz also said one of the most important tasks ahead was to make sure that hostages taken by Hamas were released “without any preconditions,” adding that he had spoke with relatives of hostages while in Tel Aviv. “You really sense their anguish and their fear.”
The chancellor said that the European Council was “united” in its support of Israel.
Scholz also stressed that “anti-Semitism has no place in Germany.”
He said that Germany could not allow protests where anti-Semitic statements are made.
A synagogue in Berlin was the target of an apparent firebombing attempt on Wednesday.
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