Iran: is Israel doing the "dirty work" for the West?
Israel is doing the "dirty work" for the entire West in Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF during the G7 summit in Canada. He went on to praise the Israeli leadership and army for their "courage" in taking military action against Iran as an active sponsor of terrorism. Merz's harsh words have provoked an equally harsh discussion in the media.
Interventions often backfire
Merz has clearly learnt nothing from history, snaps Mediapart:
“Do we really need to invoke the outcome of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003? Or the interventions in Libya in 2011? The flow of weapons, the rise of 'militia rule' in several of region's countries, and the development of jihadist movements, a number of which have carried out attacks on European soil, should be enough to make Friedrich Merz think twice about the alleged advantages of the 'dirty work'.”
Harsh words ruffle feathers
Merz's words hit the nail on the head, notes the Neue Zürcher Zeitung:
“Israel is indeed acting in the interests of all those who have been harmed by Iran's aggressive politics. This does not only include the international community in the West, but also several Arab states. ... Merz does not make life easy for himself with his choice of words. He likes to speak his mind, he's often harsh and he gets slammed for it. ... Unlike his predecessors, he lays himself open to attack. Whether this will work for him in the long term - with his coalition partners, with his own party and with a public that has been sedated by two decades of highly polished government communications - remains to be seen.”
Talking turkey instead of empty bluster
Merz is right, says Der Tagesspiegel:
“Of course, every civilian who is injured or dies in a war is one too many. It's also true that simply bombing away autocratic and dictatorial rulers will rarely result in a new stability. And yet: Israel is going all out against a regime whose existence Europe, the US and other democratic states have failed to question for far too long. ... It's just as well that the German government recognises that the empty words of the past won't help. Because what remains - despite all the concerns and risks - is a historic opportunity. No one should automatically criticise Israel for seizing this occasion to do what Friedrich Merz calls the 'dirty work'.”
Germany's double standards exposed
Zeit Online finds Merz's words morally and stylistically inappropriate:
“According to the Federal Statistical Office, 241 million euros worth of goods were exported from Germany to Iran at the beginning of 2024 alone. And 41.2 million euros worth of goods were imported from there. Meanwhile, little was said about the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini and the subsequent Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, to which from the outset Germany reacted rather defensively in diplomatic terms. This is why the anger over the use of an expression like 'dirty work' is justified: because it reveals a double standard. We don't dare impose harsh sanctions on a regime but we have no problem expressing our delight with completely inappropriate language when someone else attacks it militarily?”
Disarming dangerous terrorists
The world owes Israel a debt of gratitude, Israeli-based physicist Samuel Goldstein argues in Berlingske:
“It is impossible to predict which country will be the leading superpower of the 21st century. Who can guarantee that radicals will not gain access to truly dangerous weapons? Since the turn of the millennium Europe has experienced an unusually high level of terrorism. Much of this terror is perpetrated by fanatical Islamists who also persecute each other. This group includes [Syria's current interim president] al-Julani and the clerical regime in Tehran. For this reason we should thank Israel for doing its part to disarm Syria and Iran. Its measures are in the interest of the entire world.”