Top German lawmaker: Public criticism of Israel has 'zero' effect
Public criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza by the country's allies has had "zero" effect in protecting Palestinian lives, a leading German foreign policy official said on Monday.
Armin Laschet told broadcaster ZDF that a joint statement issued last week by Britain, France and Canada calling Israel's escalation of military activity in Gaza "disproportionate" had no impact in ending the conflict or ensuring humanitarian aid could reach the territory.
Laschet, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, said the new conservative-led government's "quiet diplomacy" and "clear words" to Israel were "more effective than constant resolutions and pithy slogans."
Germany has taken a more cautious approach than other EU states in criticizing Israel during the war in Gaza, which broke out in 2023 following the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Berlin sees Israeli security as a "reason of state" due to Germany's historic responsibility for the Holocaust.
However, Laschet insisted that the term "doesn't mean you can't criticize Israel, you can't demand aid deliveries, you can't criticize the prime minister."
"You can do all that," said Laschet. "You can also say that the government has right-wing extremist ministers, you can also say that the war aims are wrong."
The German government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, expressed a similar view on Monday in an interview with the rbb radio station.
"We must learn to distinguish between the actions of the Israeli government and Israel as a whole, there are big differences," said Klein.
However, he rejected a call by centre-left lawmakers in the Bundestag to end German arms exports to Israel.
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