Scholz pledges solidarity to Israel during visit to Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv (dpa) – During a visit to Israel ten days after the Hamas terrorist attack, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has assured the country of Germany’s complete solidarity. “The security of Israel and its citizens is Germany’s reason of state,” he said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. “The responsibility we bear as a result of the Holocaust makes it our duty to stand up for the existence and security of the state of Israel.”

Scholz was one of the first heads of government to visit Israel following the Hamas attacks. Referring to Israel’s military strikes against Hamas, the chancellor said that it was completely clear that Israel had the “right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself against this terror”. Scholz reasserted at the same time that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid for those suffering in the Gaza Strip. “We are committed to ensuring that humanitarian access is provided to the Gaza Strip,” he said.

After his visit to Israel, Scholz travelled on to Egypt to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt is Israel’s only Arab neighbour to share a border with the Gaza Strip. By visiting Egypt, Scholz also wants to do whatever he can to avoid a conflagration in the region. He had spoken to al-Sisi on the phone shortly after the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.