Peace in the Middle East. An impossible dream? In a remarkably clairvoyant panel, Markus Lanz and his guests discuss possible solutions.
Hamburg – Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck joined the group from Berlin and initially emphasized: “Israel has the right to defend itself and Germany has the obligation to support Israel, but Israel must also adhere to international law and try everything to protect civilians protect. But Israel’s task is almost impossible because Hamas is hiding behind civilians.”
But what does this German reason of state actually mean, Markus Lanz asked the Vice Chancellor on ZDF: “Literally, this means that Israel’s security is a necessity for Germany.” This is an obligation and not just a saying: Israel receives all military support, including diplomatic support. Habeck understandably did not want to answer whether that would ultimately mean German troops in the Middle East.
“Markus Lanz” on ZDF: A certain coldness towards the victims
The state and individual support for Israel is right and also great, said Zeit editor-in-chief Giovanni di Lorenzo, but also said: “I sense a certain coldness towards the victims of the attack, which frightens me, precisely because in other situations there is a different reaction There were, for example, in relation to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.” Perhaps this shows a plurality of opinions that di Lorenzo also recognizes in the Jewish communities not only in Germany, but also in the USA or in Israel itself.
The best example of this was the writer Deborah Feldman, who became known for her book “Unorthodox” and has lived in Berlin for several years. With great emotion, Feldman explained that even relatives of murdered Israelis or relatives of hostages are now campaigning for an end to the fighting. But not only the right-wing populist Israeli government is escaping a peace solution, but also countries like Germany, where there is such great philo-Semitism that criticism of Israel is practically ruled out.
Feldman emphatically called for an “unconditional defense of human rights for all,” and continued: “Anyone who wants to exploit the Holocaust to justify other violence has lost their own humanity.” The situation for liberal Jews, but also liberal Muslims in the Western world is getting worse and worse, said Feldman: “Jews in this country are being selectively protected, Palestinians who have tolerant and peace-loving views are not having their say.” Harsh words that Robert Habeck parried with statesmanship: “The self-evidence of Jewish life is currently escaping us” said the Vice Chancellor, but also emphasized that it is not appropriate for a German, non-Jewish politician to lecture Israel and demand that it forego a harsh military reaction.
Robert Habeck | Vice Chancellor |
Giovanni di Lorenzo | journalist |
Florence Gaub | Political scientist |
Deborah Feldman | writer |
But where will this lead? There has been increasing discussion in recent days as to whether an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza can actually achieve the goal of defeating Hamas militarily. The political scientist Florence Gaub, research rector at the NATO Defense College, emphasized that “for every Federal Republic there was consensus that the existence of Israel is part of German political identity.” But the question, says Gaub to Markus Lanz on ZDF, is what happens next.
Dividing the conflict into too clear black and white patterns doesn’t take into account the question of what happens next. “Only people like Deborah Feldman who manage to think in the gray zone, namely not according to the pattern: These are the good guys, these are the soils, but rather to give space to everyone’s suffering and then move on to the next phase, can do this contribute to resolving the conflict.” And if you want the Middle East conflict to be resolved at some point, then there has to be a political solution, even if the thought of negotiations or even a peace agreement is probably still too early at the moment.
The EU’s silence on the Middle East war
But when can this happen, especially when a politician like Bibi Netanyahu is in power in Israel? Who, as Deborah Feldman pointed out, had an interest in keeping Hamas in power in order to have an excuse not to begin negotiations with the Palestinians. This is also a context that is important to understand, as much-criticized UN Secretary-General António Guterres suggested when he said that Hamas’ terrible terror did not happen in a “vacuum.”
This yes came much too early, but, said Lorenzo, “when the corpses were barely cold.” All participants in the group agreed that differentiation and contextualization were important, but how serious is the accusation of hypocrisy, that of Western politics is often done these days, especially from the global south?
If Russia destroys the water supply in Ukraine, says Markus Lanz provocatively, the EU calls it a war crime; if Israel does the same in Gaza, it remains silent. Habeck in particular has been walking a tightrope for a long time: criticizing Hamas’ terror while, on the other hand, buying gas from Qatar, a country that is home to the political arm of Hamas and is currently an important negotiating partner in the attempt to free the hostages.
Whether the Middle East conflict can be resolved without the West admitting that it sometimes has double standards and does not always act as a truly neutral negotiating partner seems questionable, but the lives of many people in the Middle East depend on it: both Israelis and Palestinians . (Michael Meyns)
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