Caroline Gennez — © BELGA
The German ambassador to Belgium, Martin Kotthaus, does not agree with the statements of the Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) about the German attitude towards Israel.”Comparisons between the Shoah and what is happening now are inappropriate, that goes without saying ”, says one response.
“I have always admired Germany because it was able to look its own war past in the eye,” Gennez said on Wednesday in Knack. “It is difficult to understand that the same Germany allows itself to be so duped by this Israeli government, which pursues a shameless colonization policy.”
According to Gennez, a crucial question arose for the Germans: “German friends: are you really going to be on the wrong side of history twice?” said a reference to the Second World War and the Holocaust. “Are we going to continue to watch if an ethnic cleansing were to take place? That was ‘nothing’, wasn’t it? So I hope that the Germans will look deeply into their own hearts, without being bothered by their own historical traumas. You should always try to transcend trauma, no matter how difficult.”
Ambassador: “Israel has the right to defend itself”
However, German Ambassador Martin Kotthaus emphasized on Twitter that “Germany has a special responsibility for Israel’s security in view of the Shoah. Comparisons between the Shoah and what is happening now are inappropriate, that goes without saying.”
“Foreign Minister Annelena Baerbock has made the position of the German government very clear on several occasions, most recently during her fourth (!) visit to the Middle East since the horrific attacks against Israel on October 7,” Kotthaus said. “Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas’s continued terror. More than a hundred hostages are still being held. Missiles cause fatalities.”
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Although Kotthaus does acknowledge that “Israel must do everything it can to protect civilians and adapt its military approach in that respect” when it comes to the many fatalities in the Gaza Strip. “Our positions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank are also crystal clear: those settlements are illegal, hinder peaceful coexistence and jeopardize the two-state solution necessary for lasting security and peace for Israelis and Palestinians. Germany is calling for more humanitarian aid for the civilian population in Gaza, and has tripled its humanitarian aid in recent months.”
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