UN official slams German foreign minister for defending Israel’s strikes on Palestinian civilians
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese has denounced German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for backing Israel’s bombing of Palestinian civilian displacement sites in Gaza.
Albanese’s denunciation came in response to Baerbock’s statements legitimizing Israeli attacks on areas sheltering Palestinian civilians. The rapporteur emphasized the gravity of Germany’s position, highlighting its serious consequences.
Baerbock, who became Germany’s first female foreign minister in December 2021, has been known for her strong Atlanticist views and alignment with US foreign policy. However, her stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has raised concerns.
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“As a UN Independent Expert, I am deeply concerned by the stance Germany is taking on Israel/Palestine, and its dangerous implications and consequences,” she said on X. “Minister Baerbock should be invited to provide the evidence of what she claims, and then explain how “civilian objects losing protected status” justify the massacres Israel is committing in Gaza and elsewhere.”
Albanese added, “Has Germany decided to stand with a State that is committing international crimes, it is a political choice, but it has also legal implications. May justice prevail where politics abhorrently failed.”
In Gaza, at least 42,344 people have been killed and 99,013 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023.
