As Chancellor, Friedrich Merz has already set some accents and sent signals. It doesn’t always fit what he said before his election. In foreign policy, this becomes particularly clear using the example of the country, the security of which has long been referred to as “German State Rounds”: Israel. As an opposition leader, Merz had criticized the then Chancellor for his hesitant support, the former federal government not to be unambiguous enough on the side of Israel. However, Olaf Scholz had never become as clear as Merz has now criticized the Israeli government. This has to do with the increasing location in the Gaza Strip. And with the SPD. “What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, I understand, opened, no longer,” said Merz at the WDR European European on Monday. “To affect the civilian population in such a way that this has been increasingly the case in the past few days can no longer be justified with a fight against Hamas terrorism.” Merz warned: “The Israeli government must not do anything that at some point her best friends are no longer willing to accept.” On Tuesday, Merz repeated this criticism in Finland: “The massive military blows of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip no longer let logic recognize how they serve the goal of fighting terror and freed the hostages.” Just like that from the defense of the debt brake towards their at least partial lining up in the direction of trillion debt? Or from the classification of the AfD as a “Natter on the neck” towards migration -political applications in the Bundestag, one of which was only given a majority with the help of the AfD? After all, shortly after the Bundestag election, Merz assured that, despite the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested in a visit to Germany. More Israel or Netanyahu solidarity was no longer possible. The most violent was the discussion of Israel’s support between Scholz and the then opposition leader Merz at a Bundestag debate on the anniversary of Hamas on Israel last October. Merz had spoken of cracks in solidarity with Israel. “These cracks arise from political uncertainty, through abstentions, for example in the United Nations and the simple refusal to make decisions,” he said. He led the lack of German arms exports as an example. At the time, there was a need for clarification within the federal government, especially because of concerns among the Greens. In the Bundestag, however, Scholz made it clear: “We delivered weapons and we will deliver weapons.” In the event of a fundamental policy speech in January, Merz confirmed that a union government will consolidate relations with Israel. He will “end the” factual exportemargo “of the current federal government in armaments goods. In the coalition agreement with the SPD it says: “The right to exist and the security of Israel are and remain part of the German state ranks.” A promise to arms exports had not made it into the contract. In his first government declaration after the election as Chancellor at the latest, new Tönedoch was heard another tone of the CDU chairman. He confirmed that Germany is “unbreakable” on the side of Israel. He announced the fight to the “unbearable” anti -Semitism in Germany. But then he came up with the situation in Gaza. He expects a better humanitarian situation for the population in Gaza, “whose suffering we see – that of children, women and the elderly, above all”. Merz pointed out reports that in Gaza an “acute famine threaten”. Shortly: Merz has tightened the sound for a few weeks. That, he claims for himself, he has also done internally in conversations with Netanyahu. At the weekend, according to the federal government, the process is “the awareness” and the feeling that it has to end up to end with the Chancellor so far that his significantly tightened announcement at the European Gate came. The criticism of the Israeli government’s approach had previously grown more and more in Europe, but also in Germany. Last but not least, the lines between Paris and Berlin threatened to move away, and at a time when Merz attaches great importance to his close relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron. In addition, the Chancellor – that’s how it is heard – also felt the pressure that arises from the debate in Germany. In any case, it was noticed in the Chancellery how unanimously his entries were praised on Monday. During his appearance at the WDR forum, the audience applauded the point when it came to Israel. However, at the request of the SPD, foreign policy came to the agenda of the first meeting of the coalition committee on Wednesday afternoon. Ukraine and the Middle East are likely to be at the top. Freow in the SPD about Merzin’s words from the SPD continues the discussion. Party chief and vice -chancellor Lars Klingbeil said a few days ago that the bar for the Israeli procedure was international law. He announced that Germany would increase political pressure on Israel. What does that mean? Unclear. At first, he did not want to comment on the demand that his own party, also from his own party, will no longer deliver weapons to Israel. In the SPD, however, the clear words of Merz were heard with pleasure. The former group leader and foreign politician Rolf Mützenich then had no problems on Tuesday on Deutschlandfunk to clearly formulate what had to follow from this new tone: “I think it would be a right decision to in principle refrain from gun deliveries now.” Individual politicians, albeit not too influential, also think loudly about the recognition of Palestine as a state. “If Germany wants to be an important, diplomatic voice in the Middle East, it should talk about the process of how Palestine’s recognition can be recognized,” said the SPD MP Isabel Cademartori of the FAZDA, however, the rejection in the Union seems to be clear-there was still considerations under the green Annalena Baerbock that even before the end of a two-state process, it seems possible Johann WadePhul is the goal again: only at the end. The sentence “We are on the side of Israel, and the country has to defend itself” often followed a “but” that pointed out the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population. One of the most influential voices in this context is that of Mützenich. He also pointed out on Deutschlandfunk that he had long appealed to Israel to comply with international law, but which had been dismissed for a long time. Like Mützenich, Juso chairman Philipp Türmer turned against arms deliveries to Israel. The party leadership was able to balance the votes in the party for a while. A few days ago, the SPD parliamentary group published a statement in which it demands that Israel had to leave aid deliveries to Gaza again immediately-but Hamas should also release the hostages. “International law applies universally.” But now the pressure is increasing from the base. At the weekend, for example, the State Party Congress of the Berlin SPD decided to make an application to stop all arms deliveries to Israel. The resentment in the regional associations opposite Klingbeil and Co. is currently great anyway, because – from the point of view of some national associations – the positioning of the party leadership in Israel fits into the picture. Certainly the topic will play a role at the Federal Party Conference at the end of June. What concrete consequences from Merz’s statements grow up, on the other hand, is still open. The government in Berlin did not want to comment on arms deliveries to Israel on Tuesday. According to FAZ information, however, there are currently still outstanding inquiries of Israel on arms exports. The Federal Security Council has to decide on this in a secret meeting. After his first trip to Israel in the FAZ interview, WadePhul had said that there would always be “look at what is necessary and responsible when delivering arms. The state bundle is “no obligation to fulfill Israel every wish”. WadePhul has spoken to the Israeli Foreign Minister Saar several times since his visit, most recently they were on the phone on Sunday. Saar will be expected in Berlin next week after FAZ information. Merz had announced that it would soon talk to Netanyahu again. In any case, on the Israeli side, Merz’s statements are being followed. If Merz raises this criticism of Israel, “then we listen very well because he is a friend,” said the Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prosor, on Tuesday morning on ZDF.
