Former Vice Chancellor of Germany, Robert Habeck, said there are indications that Israel’s military operation in Gaza amounts to crimes against humanity.
The academic emphasised that although antisemitism should never be allowed to thrive, no one should be stopped from challenging Israel’s actions either.
“I think there is a lot of evidence that war crimes were committed in Gaza.
“Antisemitism has to be fought,” he maintained.
“But that must not lead to a ban on speaking…the idea that Israel or its government cannot be criticised,” Habeck stated in an interview aired on ARD TV
Expressing his rejection of any opposition to the existence of Israel, Habeck insisted that people should be able to ask questions without being portrayed as antisemites.
A “major societal task”, the former minister added, is ensuring that Israel’s conduct and the “war crimes” in Gaza are things that can and must be mentioned in the same sentence.
Habeck said while Israel’s “combative and outwardly aggressive” posture was intended to protect Jewish lives from being destroyed through violence, its actions in Gaza “have gone too far.”
On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he used his 16th address to the UN General Assembly to reaffirm Turkey’s position on regional conflicts, especially Israel’s war in Gaza and other territories.
The leader reiterated his condemnation of the killing of over 74,000 people in Gaza and the “spread of terror” across the wider Middle East, including Lebanon and Syria.
“We will continue to speak the truth,” Erdogan pledged. “We will never waver in our stance until those who committed crimes against humanity are held accountable before the law.”
Germany’s Habeck decries Gaza ‘war crimes’ as Erdogan vows justice