The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement released a statement on 16 October strongly condemning comments made by Germany’s foreign minister in defence of Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians.
“These statements represent a dangerous justification for targeting civilian sites under the pretext of the presence of armed elements in these sites, cover up the crimes of the occupation that targets civilians, and provide an immoral justification for indiscriminate attacks,” PIJ said.
The statement goes on to say that civilian infrastructure must never lose its protected status, regardless of what Israel claims.
“Germany should have reconsidered its position and reviewed its policies towards supporting the occupation, and followed the approach of other European countries that announced the cessation of supplying the occupation with weapons. Supporting the occupation militarily in light of these crimes against civilians makes Germany complicit in human rights violations,” it added.
It also brought up Israeli crimes against civilians in Lebanon and blasted Berlin for not condemning them, along with Israeli attacks on UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping troops in the country.
The Hamas movement also condemned the German Foreign Ministry’s public support for Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in a statement on 16 October.
Hamas called the minister’s comments “impudent” and said they “give cover to the occupation to commit more genocidal crimes.”
“We express our deep disapproval of this statement, which reveals a Zionist mentality devoid of all human values and principles … we call on the International Court of Justice to consider the statement of this German minister as additional evidence of her government’s participation in the war of genocide,” it added.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the comments on 14 October while addressing the German Parliament.
The comments drew worldwide condemnation, including from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, human rights lawyers, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine.
“Self-defense means not only attacking terrorists but destroying them. When Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools … civilian places lose their protected status because terrorists abuse it,” Baerbock told the German parliament earlier this week. Her comments came the same day several people were burned alive due to Israeli attacks on a northern Gaza hospital and tent encampment.
Legally, Baerbock’s statement is false, according to human rights lawyer and former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber.
A German Foreign Ministry official also said on 14 October that his country sees “no sign of genocide” in Gaza, despite Israel being on trial for the crime at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Earlier this year, Nicaragua filed proceedings against Germany at the ICJ, arguing its facilitation of Israel’s genocide by supplying the Israeli military with arms.
Berlin claimed the accusation had “no basis in fact or law.”