International pressure on Israel is intensifying and in Germany, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group is now calling for a significantly clearer stance.
Adis Ahmetovic, the SPD’s foreign policy spokesperson and Rolf Mützenich, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, have issued a joint statement, reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung and supported by the SPD parliamentary group, urging Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) to join a United Kingdom-led initiative, supported by 27 other signatories, demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
Germany has, until now, maintained a more reserved position. The SPD has sharply criticized this reticence, advocating for a policy shift within the governing coalition. While the government has recently voiced increasing criticism of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, concrete consequences have been lacking. According to Ahmetovic and Mützenich, this situation should now change, particularly given the catastrophic conditions unfolding in Gaza.
Humanitarian organizations are reporting acute food shortages, a lack of access to clean drinking water and inadequate medical care. “Reports of starving children and a rapidly escalating famine indicate that we have reached the much-invoked ‘point of no return'” the statement reads. While Israel recently agreed to a framework intended to improve the humanitarian situation, the SPD politicians express skepticism regarding the government’s commitment, deeming it “another empty promise” while people are dying.
The parliamentary group is therefore demanding clear and immediate consequences, emphasizing that “the unlawful occupation and the continued disregard for fundamental human rights leave no room for political interpretation”. It is not only timely to align with the European initiative, but also to suspend existing collaborations, such as the association agreement. Furthermore, a halt to weapons exports to the Israeli government – weapons, they assert, are being used in violations of international law – should be enforced.
