War in Gaza: is Israel going too far?
On Friday, nine of a doctor's ten children were reportedly killed when her home was hit by an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Israel's harsh military actions and the lack of food supplies and aid have already provoked growing international criticism. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that acts that entail such suffering for the civilian population could no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism. Europe's media reflect on what is being said and done.
Shameful silence is not the way
Der Standard makes an appeal not to give up the discourse:
“It is no longer possible to talk about Israel and Gaza. Immediately tensions run high and opinions differ. Even among friends, acquaintances and colleagues, people quickly reach the point where normal communication and an exchange of views becomes impossible. Where the tone turns nasty. ... So is it better to say nothing at all, and keep your mouth shut? That leads nowhere. It must be possible to criticise the Israeli government and its actions in Gaza, to denounce the disproportionate way the war is being waged without taking a stand against Israel - and certainly not against the Israeli people.”
The resistance must grow louder
Former Maltese ambassador the EU John Vassallo calls for a clear signal from the West in the Times of Malta:
“Our own country speaks loudly in favour of the Palestinians but our prime minister lacks the courage to recognise Palestine and to join the other EU countries which have already done so. ... Why, may I ask, does the world, does Donald Trump and the EU continue to support Israel? Why does Germany not shrug off the guilt of their grandparents and take a stance like France and the UK, Ireland and Spain?”
Germany's moral bankruptcy
German's policy towards Israel remains basically unchanged, the Süddeutsche Zeitung puts in:
“The tone is becoming somewhat more reflective, the sympathy stronger - nonetheless, the tank part deliveries are to continue. This moral bankruptcy will no doubt be more apparent to the people than to [the politicians] in Berlin. Germany was once a country that stood for humanity, international law and human rights, but there can be no talk of that for the time being. Berlin is supplying weapons for a war that is dragging on endlessly - and which according to Netanyahu should not end. And the German government is toeing his line.”
Netanyahu's destructive fantasy
Writing in the in Cyprus Mail, columnist Gwynne Dyer condemns the plan to 'resettle' the Palestinians in Gaza:
“This is a cruel fantasy, not a strategy. Egypt, well aware of Netanyahu's intentions, will seal the border tight and allow no Palestinians to cross. If Israel holds two million people there for long, the death toll from hunger and disease will soon reach a thousand a day. Even Israel's closest friends and strongest supporters will rebel. It's already starting. France, Britain and Canada have condemned Israel's behaviour and threatened sanctions. The European Union is 'reviewing' its free trade agreement with Israel. Even Donald Trump has voiced some concern. Israel will have to change course, or it will become an international pariah.”
The goal is resettlement - or expulsion
Writing in Tygodnik Powszechny, reporter Dariusz Rosiak outlines the Israeli leadership's intentions:
“Israel's stated short-term goal is to resettle the entire Palestinian population on a strip of land in the south of the zone and to hand over the task of distributing aid to a newly formed US-backed organisation. But the long-term goal remains unclear. The most extreme ministers are talking about permanently taking over the Gaza Strip and settling it with Jews.”
Palestinians also uncompromising
The Kleine Zeitung responds to critics of the Israeli government's approach:
“Israel's campaign against the terrorist organisation is legitimate. ... The free Palestine 'from the river to the sea' that the international left is calling for would never exist under Hamas, but rather a terrorist state in which the people would be enslaved and Israel's eradication would be the ultimate goal, because that is exactly what 'from the river to the sea' means - a country without Jews from the Jordan to Haifa. The Palestinians are also being left empty-handed because coexistence with the Jews has never been an option for their leadership, which has rejected every offer of peace.”