Knesset speaker told in Berlin that Israel can rely on Germany
The speaker of Israel's Knesset, Amir Ohana, who was in Berlin on Monday, has thanked Germany for its support in the ongoing Gaza war.
The German people have reaffirmed their determination to keep their promise of "never again," Ohana said in Berlin, referring to the slogan used in Germany to recall the genocide of millions of Jews under the Nazi regime.
Bärbel Bas, president of the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, emphasized that Israel could rely on Germany as a partner. "Today it is clear that never again is now," she said at a joint press conference.
Bas also voiced the hope that all parties involved in the ongoing conflict would "give a two-state solution a chance, to allow the region to find a joint future, with a permanent peace."
The latest Gaza war was triggered by the October 7 attacks led by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
That day, some 1,200 people were brutally killed and 230 taken hostage to Gaza.
Israel responded by launching massive airstrikes on Gaza, followed by a ground offensive at the end of October to destroy Hamas. More than 33,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed in the sealed-off coastal area as a result of that operation.
In the wake of the October 7 attacks, the government in Berlin has remained firm on its stance that Israel has the right to self-defence. However, as the humanitarian situation for the civilian Palestinian population is growing more and more dire, German politicians have slowly grown more critical of Israel's military actions in Gaza, in particular regarding the lack of aid getting in.
It is "right and understandable what Israel wants to achieve, that Hamas is never again able to commit such atrocities," Bas said on Monday, referring to the October 7 attacks.
At the same time, she added, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is being viewed with great concern. "The Palestinian and Israeli sides must now do everything they can to ensure that aid organizations can safely bring food, water and medicine to the people."
