Germany’s Bärbock assures Israel of support, criticizes settlements

Tel Aviv (dpa) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock used her first official visit to Israel to assure Israeli leaders of Germany’s determination to fight anti-Semitism and criticize the settlement building backed by the current premier, Naftali Bennett.

During a meeting with her counterpart Yair Lapid, Baerbock said that Israel’s security remained of fundamental importance to Germany.

“It is our responsibility to raise our voices against anti-Semitism, hatred and incitement, against exclusion and violence, so that such a crime against humanity can never happen again,” she said during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem – the first official event she attended on Thursday morning.

Baerbock laid a wreath to commemorate the 6 million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany in World War II.

“As a mother of two daughters, my breath tightens in my throat,” she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a pictures of her visiting the memorial site, including one for murdered children.

Baerbock – who has been in office since December – is set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah in the West Bank later on Thursday.

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been stalled since 2014.

Bennett opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and has vowed to build more housing for Jewish settlers. Along with most European governments, the German government and Baerbock’s Green Party strongly support a two-state solution and criticize Israel’s settlement building on occupied Palestinian Territories.

The building of settlements was “damaging,” Baerbock said, while calling on Israel to identify ways to restart direct talks with the Palestinians. The status quo was not sustainable, and “there is no stability without hope,” she said.

Both Lapid and Bennett emphasized their opposition to the international Iran nuclear deal during their talks with Baerbock.

“A nuclear Iran endangers not only Israel, but the entire world,” Lapid said in a press conference.

Lapid referred to a recent Amnesty report that said Israel was practising apartheid against the Palestinians.

“I also spoke with the minister about the false and shameful attempt to depict Israel as an apartheid state. The use of this word – “apartheid” – against the people who have suffered from racism more than any other, is unforgivable and not to be tolerated,” he said.

New areas of cooperation when it comes to fighting climate change are also to be explored during Baerbock’s trip, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said.

After her visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Baerbock will fly on to Jordan.

On Saturday, she will be in Egypt. Egypt will host a UN Climate Change Conference next November.