The Central Council of Jews in Germany issued a rare stinging criticism of its foreign ministry for blaming Israel for allegedly targeting a school in Gaza without a justified military reason.
The German foreign ministry wrote on X on Wednesday: “unacceptable. Civilians, especially children, must not get caught in the crossfire. The repeated attacks on schools by the Israeli army must stop and an investigation must come quickly.”
#Gaza: People seeking shelter in #schools getting killed is unacceptable. Civilians, especially children, must not get caught in the crossfire. The repeated attacks on schools by the Israeli army must stop and an investigation must come quickly.
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) July 10, 2024
'Comment lacks any reason'
According to a statement posted on the Jewish community council’s website, “The Foreign Office's post about the rocket hit in a school in Gaza is irritating and lacks any reason. What we know about it, we know from Hamas. We also know that it is the terrorist organization Hamas that is bringing this war, which causes so much suffering, into institutions such as schools and hospitals. This does not mean that the Israeli army can simply accept civilian casualties, but rather that it must do everything it can to prevent further suffering, even when dealing with an enemy that deliberately provokes these casualties?”
The German Jewish organization added “Before the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany demanded it via social media, an investigation into the incident was of course initiated by the Israeli army. There was no need for German diplomats to call on the only democracy in the Middle East. On a day like this, where is the clear call to Hamas not to use innocent people as shields?”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the LA-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, told The Jerusalem Post that the Center “Fully stands with the Central Council of Jews in Germany in condemning the false and misleading statement from Germany's Foreign Office. Israel doesn’t indiscriminately bomb anywhere, not mosques, hospitals, or schools. That’s what terrorists do.”
He added “ The IDF bombs terrorist infrastructure of Hamas from where attacks against Israeli civilians are still launched and left intact will lead to more October 7ths. Foreign Ministry should not inadvertently contribute to anti-Israel pro-Hamas big lies.”
The Central Council states on its website that it has a membership of roughly 100,000. The Jewish organization is subsidized by the German state.
Separately but related to the war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, responded to a Thursday article in the Bild paper that alleged Germany finances more than 100 terrorists related to UNRWA. Prosor wrote on X “This is a list of shame! Friendly teacher in the morning, terrorist in the evening – how does that fit together? UNRWA has become a terror aid agency. The German government must ensure that German tax money does not end up with terrorists. We can't close our eyes anymore.”