Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) flew into the Israel‑controlled portion of the Gaza Strip on Thursday. While there she was escorted by soldiers of the Israeli army and visited a site located in the so‑called “yellow zone”.
Klöckner had travelled to Israel the day before, where she addressed the Knesset, toured a Holocaust memorial and visited the grounds of the Nova music festival.
The co‑chair of the Green party, Franziska Brantner, criticised the visit. In an interview with the “Spiegel”, Brantner accused Klöckner of neglecting the Palestinian perspective. “It is good that the Bundestag President wants to see Gaza up close” Brantner said, but “if she does so without listening to the Palestinians at all, she will have to accept the accusation that she intends to perceive the reality of the region in a one‑sided way”.
Brantner added that a viable solution cannot be found unless the Palestinian position is considered on an equal footing. “A Bundestag President, in particular, should be aware of this responsibility”.