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Germany warns Israel of growing diplomatic isolation over Gaza and West Bank
Germany has issued a stark warning to Israel over its handling of the ongoing crisis in Gaza and its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, stating that Tel Aviv is becoming increasingly isolated on the international stage.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Israel on July 31, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the recent United Nations conference in New York clearly demonstrated that "Israel is finding itself increasingly in the minority." He added that many countries, including some in Europe, are now prepared to recognize a Palestinian state even without a formal peace process.
While reaffirming Germany’s position that recognition of a Palestinian state should be the outcome of negotiations, Wadephul warned that “such a process must now begin,” adding that Germany would be "forced to respond to any unilateral actions" by Israel.
During a press conference in Jerusalem, he urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to abandon “any policies of forced displacement and active annexation,” stressing that Berlin is determined to prevent a widening rift between the European Union and Israel.
Germany, a historical ally of Israel due to its responsibility in the Holocaust, has expressed increasingly strong criticism over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. At the same time, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing domestic criticism for continuing arms deliveries to Israel.
In a visit scheduled to include Ramallah, Wadephul called on Israel to permit wider access for land-based humanitarian convoys to Gaza, which is now on the brink of famine. “The humanitarian disaster is beyond imagination,” he told reporters.
He added that Israel has “a duty to ensure the rapid delivery of sufficient humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation,” noting that "people across Gaza—women, men, and children—are dying daily in their desperate search for food."
After more than 21 months of conflict, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the continued settlement expansion, and Israeli officials’ annexation rhetoric have led to growing fears that a future Palestinian state may no longer be viable in practice.
Three G7 countries—France, the United Kingdom, and Canada—have signaled their intention to recognize the State of Palestine by September.
Wadephul emphasized that “only land routes can deliver humanitarian aid in sufficient quantities,” revealing that Germany had dispatched two A400M military transport planes to the West Bank on Wednesday to air-drop aid into Gaza.
He was expected to hold meetings Thursday with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and President Isaac Herzog.
