Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expects a fundamentally different and more Israel-friendly Middle East policy from the forthcoming German government.
“Germany is Israel’s closest ally in Europe and we hope that Germany will not only reaffirm its commitment to Israel’s security but also act in its mutual interest” he told the Welt am Sonntag. “We hope that Germany will engage in the Middle East as a stabilizing and renewing force and break free from the outdated and failed paradigms of the past.”
Sa’ar explicitly referred to the two-state solution, which is supported by Germany: “The attempt to hand over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority has catastrophically failed in less than a decade, leading to the rise of Hamas to power.” The minister emphasized that the rule of the terrorist organization over the Gaza Strip has had a great tragedy for both Israel and the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, as it has turned Gaza into a “laboratory for attempts to destroy the State of Israel and thus destabilize the entire Middle East.”
To ensure security and stability in the region, a creative, new approach is needed. This is the “core of the idea presented by President Trump” who recently said that the US would “take over” the Gaza Strip and transform it into a “flourishing Riviera of the Middle East.” The Palestinian residents of the area should leave and settle in other Arab states.
Sa’ar also criticized the German government’s behavior in the past: “Unfortunately, we have experienced disappointments during the current war, both in terms of political support in international forums and the delay of certain military aid. We hope for a clear course from the German government.”
The international humanitarian aid has, in his opinion, become the “main source of financing” for Hamas, rather than serving its original purpose of helping the civilian population in Gaza. It cannot be ignored, he said, “when international organizations are hijacked to financially, logistically, or ideologically support terrorists.” And further: “It cannot be of no concern to the donor countries if aid organizations become a breeding ground for terrorism.