Chancellor Merz: Israeli actions in Gaza cross humanitarian lines

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a sharp condemnation of Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip on May 26, marking an unusually direct critique from a German head of government and signalling a possible shift in Berlin’s traditionally staunch support for Israel.

“Frankly speaking, I no longer understand what the goal of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip is. To harm the civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism,” Merz said in an interview aired on public television, Caliber.Az reports via POLITICO.

Germany has long considered its support for Israel’s security a core tenet of national policy—a Staatsräson, or “reason of state”—a stance deeply rooted in Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust. German leaders, especially from Merz’s conservative political camp, have traditionally hesitated to criticise Israeli military actions publicly. However, Merz’s recent remarks suggest that his government may be reconsidering its approach as humanitarian conditions in Gaza deteriorate under Israel’s renewed military campaign.

Humanitarian organisations have warned of a looming famine in Gaza, where large segments of the population face starvation following an 11-week blockade that has severely restricted the delivery of aid.

“Germany must exercise greater restraint than any other country in the world in giving public advice to Israel,” Merz said. “But when borders are crossed, when international humanitarian law is really being violated, the German chancellor must also say something about it.”

Merz revealed that he intends to raise the issue directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a planned phone conversation later this week. “We have a great interest in remaining at Israel’s side,” he stressed, “but the Israeli government must not do anything that its best friends are no longer prepared to accept.”

His remarks come amid rising domestic debate over the German government’s military support for Israel. Members of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in Merz’s coalition government, have started calling for a halt to German weapons exports to Israel.

Felix Klein, the German government’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, also added to the debate, urging a “more honest discussion” about what Staatsräson should mean in practice. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Klein stated: “We must do everything in our power to preserve the security of Israel and Jews worldwide. But we must also be clear that this is no justification for everything. Starving the Palestinians and deliberately making the humanitarian situation dramatically worse has nothing to do with safeguarding Israel’s right to exist. And it cannot be the German reason of state either.”

Until now, Germany had largely avoided joining the most outspoken European criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. But the recent escalation in Israeli military operations has prompted growing disquiet among Western allies.

Earlier this month, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a joint statement condemning the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza as “intolerable” and called on Israel to cease its intensified military actions. “Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate,” the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded forcefully to the joint criticism, accusing the Western leaders of undermining Israel’s right to self-defence.

“By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottowa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities,” Netanyahu wrote on social media.

By Tamilla Hasanova