FALCON POWERS – Robert Habeck, the German Vice Chancellor under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza war, stating that they violated international law.
Habeck, who belongs to the Green Party, also holds the position of Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in the German government in Berlin.
During a dialogue with citizens on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the German Basic Law, Habeck said on Saturday: “Of course, Israel must adhere to international law. The famine and suffering of the Palestinian population, as well as the attacks in the Gaza Strip, do not comply with international law, as we now also see from a legal perspective.”
Habeck added: “This means, in fact, that Israel has crossed the line there, and it is not allowed to do so.”
At the same time, Habeck pointed out that Hamas could end the war immediately if it laid down its weapons.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, had announced on Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip starting from October 8th, a day after Palestinian militants in Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
The statement from Khan’s office stated that among the allegations were “the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “intentionally attacking civilians.”
In a subsequent development, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ highest court, issued an order to Israel on Friday to immediately cease its military offensive on the city of Rafah, located south of Gaza City, saying that the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories is “catastrophic.” The ruling, which was read aloud by Judge Nawaf Salam at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, was in response to an urgent request filed by South Africa.
Habeck and German Chancellor Scholz reiterated today the German government’s warnings about a large-scale military attack on the city of Rafah.
Scholz said during a dialogue with citizens in his electoral district in Potsdam: “What we are saying is that the war must be conducted in a way that complies with the rules of international law.” He added: “That’s why we’ve always been clear in saying: we can’t imagine an attack on Rafah without terrible and irresponsible civilian casualties.”
In turn, Habeck pointed out that the German government has always said that “Israel should not carry out this attack, at least not in the way it has dealt with the Gaza Strip before, whether it’s bombing refugee camps and the like.”
