Amid ongoing conflict in Gaza and escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Katharina Dröge, parliamentary group leader of the Green Party, has publicly advocated for sanctions to be imposed on Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Dröge, speaking to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland network, argued that the sanctions are warranted due to the two ministers’ explicit calls for violence against Palestinian civilians and displacement, alongside their support for illegal settlement construction in the West Bank. She emphasized the need for a clear stance from the German government on this matter.
Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir currently hold ministerial positions and are leaders of political parties characterized as right-wing extremist. Slovenia recently implemented entry bans against both ministers, becoming the first EU nation to take such action.
Beyond sanctions, Dr. Dröge also called for an immediate halt to weapons exports to Israel, specifically arguing that these arms could potentially be used in Gaza. She urged the German government to endorse a joint declaration signed by 28 nations, which demands a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the facilitation of humanitarian aid to the affected population and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Dröge expressed concern over the German government’s decision not to sign the declaration, labeling it an “error that urgently needs to be corrected”. She encouraged Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), to advocate for Germany’s adherence to the declaration, referencing his previously expressed views on the matter.