In the course of a solidarity visit to Israel on Sunday, Frank Walter Steinmeier, president of the Federal Republic of Germany, warned that Hamas is not only engaged in a war against Israel, but is beginning a war against the whole region.
Steinmeier, based on his past record, is one of the best friends that Israel has in Europe. He said that Germany will never forget the barbaric events of October 7, a day in which more Israelis than ever before were killed.
Germany wants to be in solidarity with Israel not only in times of trouble, when there are victims, declared Steinmeier, but 100% of the time.
He added that on a personal level, he has a deep connection with Israel, but never more so than since October 7.
In condemning the inhumanity of Hamas, Steinmeier also endorsed Israel’s right to defend itself, saying that Hamas must not be allowed to kill or kidnap Israelis.
At the same time, Steinmeier was concerned about innocent civilians in Gaza, and noted that Germany has been among those countries supplying them with humanitarian aid.
Steinmeier, who arrived in Israel with a large delegation that included Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, will continue from Israel to Oman and Qatar.
When asked whether he would continue with Steinmeier’s planeload of people, Prosor replied in the affirmative. Asked whether this was the first time that he would be visiting these countries, the ambassador, a former director general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replied that it wasn’t.
Steinmeier spoke on Sunday evening at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where he was greeted by President Isaac Herzog, who said that while he was always delighted to welcome Steinmeier to Israel, he would prefer to do so under happier circumstances.
“The sky fell in Israel on October 7,” said Herzog as he provided details regarding Hamas’s attack. Since that horrific day of pain and anguish it was clear to see the difference between good and evil and light and darkness, Herzog stressed.
Herzog: Iran, Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas 'of the same camp'
Charging Iran with controlling the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas, Herzog said: “They’re all part of the same camp.”
While voicing his appreciation to Steinmeier, Herzog noted that Steinmeier and Germany are providing a moral guideline for the rest of the world. Israel defends itself carefully and responsibly, said Herzog, but some world leaders, including members of the EU, do not understand this.
In particular, he cited Ireland’s prime minister, who spoke of Emily Hand as though she had been lost rather than kidnapped. The statement was unconscionable, Herzog emphasized. “Emily did not go missing. She did not go for a walk and lose her way. Emily was kidnapped at gunpoint.”
He was angry that the Red Cross had not been permitted to visit her or the other hostages.
“The world refuses to face reality,” he reiterated.
In comparing the families of the hostages’ anxiety as they waited for news and for their loved ones to return to the terrorists’ behavior, Herzog noted that those with blood on their hands showed no signs of remorse. Rather, Hamas showcased the videos of the despicable inhuman acts that they had committed.
Israel will not be deterred by the psychological warfare that Hamas is also waging, he said. “Israel cannot allow Hamas to continue to exist.”
Turning to the issue of the innocent civilians in Gaza, Herzog said that Israel grieves over the loss of innocent lives in Gaza, and has been providing humanitarian aid.
But he insisted that the suffering of the Gazan people is due to Hamas.
At the end of last week, prior to leaving Germany, Steinmeier said: “A visit to Israel now? Yes, especially now! I am traveling to assure Israel of our continued solidarity – solidarity not only with Israel as the victim of terror, but also with Israel as a country that is defending itself.
“Hamas continues to pose a deadly threat to Israel. At the same time, the war that Israel is now waging must not thwart any chance of an understanding in the future. It must not give rise to a new desperate generation.
“The only answer is a policy based on two principles: more security for Israel and more prospects for a brighter future for Palestinians. And if, in the end, there should be a stable state of peace, this can only mean one thing: two states. The Palestinians must be able to exercise their right to political self-determination and to live in dignity, freedom, and peace with their neighbors.
“During the last few years, the concept of two states has, above all, been a story of missed, wasted opportunities – missed by the international community, and partly wasted due to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
“If this low point in the history of the Middle East can bring about something better, then it would be a renewed and urgent impetus for a two-state solution that could be supported by the entire world.”