Following the German government’s announcement that it would allow its first holiday‑makers to leave the war zone in the Persian Gulf, the Green and Left factions in the Bundestag have criticized Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s approach.
G‑party foreign‑policy spokesperson Luise Amtsberg said the escalation currently unfolding in the Middle East has been a realistic scenario for weeks. She added that the federal government still appears unprepared and overwhelmed in this acute danger situation-a fact she described as shocking. Protecting German citizens is an obligation of any federal government, she argued, and announcing an evacuation only on the third day after the war began, targeting only vulnerable groups, is simply not enough.
The criticism also came from the Left’s foreign‑policy spokesperson Cansu Özdemir. She called the government’s crisis communication “deficient” noting that Wadephul’s current statements-which prioritize the evacuation of only older people, children, the sick and pregnant women-only serve to deepen uncertainty.
In such a situation, calm and prudent action is essential, Özdemir said. She pointed out that the government has failed to provide that, insisting that plans for an evacuation of roughly 30,000 people must be presented as soon as possible.