2024-02-17 15:29:38
Despite all solidarity: the tone towards Israel is becoming sharper. US Secretary of State Blinken calls for a Palestinian state at the Munich Security Conference to end the “vicious circle.” Chancellor Scholz also finds clear words.
Diplomacy on the war in the Middle East is also taking place in Munich this week: the conflict is one of the main topics at the security conference. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also sees the war as an opportunity to bring lasting peace to the region. “There is a chance to escape this vicious circle once and for all,” said Blinken at the security conference in Munich.
There are efforts to reform the Palestinian Authority so that it becomes a reliable partner for Israel, said Blinken. And it is more urgent than ever to create a Palestinian state, also to increase Israel’s security. “This is a path that is difficult but that is possible,” he said. “The alternative would be to repeat the vicious circle over and over again.”
Protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip
Blinken once again emphasized support and solidarity for Israel: “We are committed to Israel’s security, that has always been clear and remains so.” Israel must ensure that the massacre of October 7th, carried out by radical Islamic extremists, does not happen again.
What matters is how Israel achieves this, Blinken said. Civilians in the Gaza Strip must be protected, and the help that the people there need must also arrive.
Scholz: Comply with international law
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also once again emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself. You are clearly on Israel’s side. At the same time, he sent clear words to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called on it to adhere to international humanitarian law when waging war and to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Germany talks about this with the Israeli government in every conversation they are currently having.
Scholz also warned that attacks by radical Jewish settlers in the West Bank should be prevented and that no new front be opened in the north of the country on the border with Lebanon. “It should be impossible for Iran to exploit this situation to expand its influence in the region,” said Scholz.
A peaceful relationship between Israel and a new Palestinian state also needs to be discussed, said Scholz. “Thinking about what a two-state solution will look like in the future in order to get out of the conflict and have a good relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbors is, I think, the key,” said the Chancellor.
China calls for an independent Palestinian state
China, which is insisting on an end to the Gaza war and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, also called for a two-state solution. This is the only way there can be peaceful coexistence in the region, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich.
Wang called the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland the “longest-standing injustice in our world.” The suffering of the Palestinians must end. In this context, China has a “very clear stance on the side of justice,” said Wang.
The recent escalation in the Middle East and the Red Sea shows that “the question of Palestine is particularly important,” emphasized Wang. Beijing is working towards an end to the conflict and to protect civilians.
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