Though it has been two days since Israel's parliamentary elections, German politicians are still being cautious to respond, as it is still unclear who will lead Israel's new government. Although the right-wing bloc, including religious hardliners, led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ahead of the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, neither has a clear path to a governing majority in the Knesset. Forming a coalition government is likely to be extremely difficult.
Martin Giese, spokesperson for German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, declined to comment at Wednesday's regular government press conference in Berlin. But he did stress that Germany has been in contact with numerous officials and politicians in Israel via Germany's ambassador. "The Jewish state and Germany are inextricably linked by our history, and we will do everything we can to work well with any future government," Wadephul said.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video One concern for the German government is providing aid to the people in Gaza, and protracted coalition negotiations could delay necessary progress. "Winter is coming, and it will be difficult," Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan, currently visiting Lebanon, warned in an interview with Politico. She underlined that there must be more opportunities for aid organizations to provide crucial assistance in Gaza and that it cannot wait for coalition negotiations.
In interviews with DW and broadcaster RTL, she spoke about the recent increase in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. "The radical settler violence must be stopped. The Netanyahu government remains in office on an interim basis, and this means that this situation must still be brought to an end," she said.
All settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is considered illegal under international law. Relations between Germany and Israel are traditionally close, in part because of Germany's historical responsibility for Nazi Germany's murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Recently, however, the German government has distanced itself from Netanyahu's policies, at least in its public rhetoric.
Most recently, Wadephul said after a major Israeli military operation near the city of Hebron: "Under international law, Israel is quite clearly obligated to uphold and protect the rights of Palestinians as well." Around 3,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes during the operation, which followed the reported killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinians. In Berlin, there has long been speculation about whether Germany's policy toward Israel might change after Israel's 2026 election. So far, one thing is clear: Unlike numerous other countries, including some in Europe, Germany does not intend to recognize a Palestinian state for the time being.
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