The German-Israeli Society has issued strong criticism regarding the conduct of Israeli security authorities in the West Bank, as well as the methods employed by the human rights organization Amnesty International.
Volker Beck, the society’s chairman, expressed concern over the escalating violence perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. He stressed that this settler violence cannot be justified by Palestinian terror, which, he noted, is not solely the domain of Hamas. Beck maintained that Israel is a democratic rule-of-law state which must assert its monopoly on violence. He argued that only the police and military are “called upon to use force against terrorists beyond the immediate act of self-defense,” stating that Israeli security forces are not doing enough to “stop these racists.”
Simultaneously, Beck sharply criticized Amnesty International, alleging that the human rights group is continuing a “demonization strategy against Israel.” He claimed that Amnesty has consistently portrayed Israel “as the ultimate evil,” using buzzwords such as apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. While admitting that some criticisms are warranted, Beck argued that Amnesty oversteps the standard of seriousness. Furthermore, he alleged that Amnesty applies double standards, systematically measuring Israel differently from other nations by failing to condemn annexations and expulsions elsewhere with the same severity.
Responding to discussions brought up by Amnesty International Germany’s Secretary General, Julia Duchrow, regarding further annexation steps in the West Bank-a concern raised by several countries including the United States-Beck disagreed with this framing. He asserted that Israel has not conducted any annexations west of the Jordan River.
Finally, Beck criticized demands to suspend the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, attributing such calls to antisemitic fervor. In the concluding remarks, he stated that European economies and security benefit from cooperation with Israel, warning that such proposals would effectively “cut off a part of its own flesh.”
