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”Dammit, the friends of the Jews at home and abroad noticed. We’ll have to try again later, guys.” [IsraelTimes] Germany’s foreign minister says the country will continue arms deliveries to Israel despite earlier suggesting that these are under review.
Johann Wadephul tells a heated session in parliament that Israel, amid its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, is also under threat from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group and Iran, and that “Germany will continue to support Israel, including with weapons deliveries.”
Last week, Wadephul said that Germany was assessing “whether what is happening in Gaza is in line with international law” and that arms sales to Israel would be evaluated on this basis.
This brought criticism from some within Wadephul’s own CDU/CSU conservative alliance, who accused him of insufficient support for Israel.
Tomorrow, Wadephul will welcome his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar to Berlin.
Today’s parliamentary session is briefly disrupted by a protester shouting “Free Palestine” and “No to genocide,” who is then escorted from the spectators’ gallery.
Earlier, an MP for the far-left Die Linke party, Cansin Kokturk, was ordered to leave the chamber for wearing a T-shirt with the word “Palestine” on it.
Germany has been one of Israel’s strongest supporters as it tries to atone for the murder of more than six million Jewish people during the Holocaust.
However, conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week: “I no longer understand what the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal.”
He added that the impact on Gaza’s civilians “can no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism.” 
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