Germany has condemned the recent attack by Jewish settlers on Christian heritage sites in the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the West Bank. The brief statement by German’s Foreign Office also called for an investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The statement is one of the rare and brief remarks that have been made by the German government in the recent months, showing a gradual change of tone on Israel and the war in Gaza that contrasts with Friedrich Merz’s discourse on Israel during his election campaign. Whilst campaigning for office, Friedrich Merz vowed not to respect a pending arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his previous defence minister.
In last May at the WDR Europaforum in Berlin, Chancellor Merz said that he “no longer understands the goals of Israel’s actions in Gaza”, and that “the suffering inflicted on civilians can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas”. He also said that Israel’s widespread airstrikes were “incomprehensible”. During a summit in Turku, Finland, on May 27, 2025, Chancellor Merz reiterated similar concerns.
Germany is one of the strongest supporters and allies of Israel in Europe.
Newsroom
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