Angela Merkel defends Israel's right to exist and questions its critics

Angela Merkel, who served as chancellor of Germany for 16 years, has publicly defended Israel's right to exist and questioned whether international criticism of the country is out of proportion, The Jerusalem Post reported. The material available does not say where or to whom she made the remarks.

The Hebrew-language Telegram channel Abu Ali Express published a translated passage of her comments, describing her positions as firmly supportive of Israel at a time when, in the channel's words, such views are not popular in Europe. In the passage, Merkel asked listeners to put themselves in the position of Israel's prime minister and said that doing so shows the job to be exceptionally difficult.

What Merkel said about fighting in civilian areas

According to the excerpt carried by Abu Ali Express, Merkel focused on the problem of combat in densely populated places. She described a situation in which Hamas operatives sit in bunkers beneath kindergartens and hospitals, knowing that the only way to destroy those positions is to strike the buildings above them as well. In that case, she said, an already hard task becomes even more complicated.

The channel's version of her remarks continues with a statement that Israel's prime minister must do everything in his power, but the published text breaks off at that point. The rest of that sentence, and whatever conditions or qualifications she attached to it, are not included in the material available to us.

The Jerusalem Post framed her intervention around two points: a defence of Israel's basic legitimacy as a state, and a challenge to the scale of criticism directed at Israel around the world. Its report, as available to us, does not include the full text of her comments.

Who Angela Merkel is

Merkel led Germany for 16 years, making her one of the longest-serving heads of government in the country's post-war history and one of the most prominent European politicians of her generation. She is no longer in office, so her remarks carry personal and political weight rather than representing the current policy of the German government.

Germany's relationship with Israel is shaped by the memory of the Holocaust, and German leaders across the political spectrum have long described support for Israel's security as a moral responsibility. A former chancellor speaking in Israel's defence therefore draws attention both in Israel and in Germany, particularly when European public opinion has grown more critical of Israeli military operations.

Hamas and the question of human shields

Hamas is the Islamist movement that has controlled the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian coastal territory bordering Israel and Egypt. Israel has long accused Hamas of placing military infrastructure, including tunnels and command posts, under or beside civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals, and argues that this makes civilian casualties harder to avoid when it strikes those targets. Critics of Israel's military conduct dispute how far that argument justifies the scale of destruction in Gaza.

The scenario Merkel described, as relayed by Abu Ali Express, echoes the Israeli government's account of why fighting in Gaza is so difficult. Her framing invited listeners to weigh the dilemma from the Israeli leader's side rather than from the perspective of outside critics.

About the sources

The Jerusalem Post is an English-language Israeli daily newspaper. Abu Ali Express is a popular Hebrew-language Telegram channel that covers Arab affairs and security matters and often republishes and translates statements from foreign figures. Its excerpt is a Hebrew rendering of remarks that Merkel would most likely have made in another language, so the wording reported here is a paraphrase of a translation, not her original words.

What the reports do not say

Neither report, as available to us, states where Merkel spoke, on what date, or in what setting, whether an interview, a speech or a public event. The full passage in which she said Israel's prime minister must do everything in his power is cut off, so it is not known how she completed that thought. The Jerusalem Post's account of her questioning of disproportionate criticism is not accompanied by her exact words in the material we have, and no response from Israeli, German or Palestinian officials has been reported.