Berlin (dpa) – At the G7 meeting of affluent democracies in Japan, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is to advocate a ceasefire in view of the suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. “We’ll be discussing how to join forces now to achieve humanitarian pauses so as to alleviate the plight of the people in Gaza,” the Minister announced before leaving for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in the Japanese capital Tokyo.
The G7 group had “condemned the heinous terror perpetrated by Hamas”, said Baerbock, emphasising Israel’s right to defend itself within the framework of international law. The G7 had been a key donor of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians for years, said Baerbock, providing around two thirds of the funding for the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). “We will campaign for other financially strong donors to get more closely involved with UNRWA.”
The Islamist Hamas must no longer be allowed to determine the fate of the people in the Gaza Strip, said Baerbock. For this reason, she added, talks in Tokyo would focus on “thinking beyond the current crisis and discussing practical steps towards a two-state solution, for example”.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that has been raging for more than a year and a half also remained at the top of the G7 agenda, stated Germany’s Foreign Minister. “If we give up our support for Ukraine now”, Russian President Vladimir Putin would “exploit this mercilessly – with terrible consequences for the people in Ukraine and Europe”, said Baerbock.