New Delhi: German ambassador to India, Phillip Ackermann, on Wednesday, condemned the October 7 Hamas militant attack and supported Israel's right to self-defense but at the same time asserted that International humanitarian law needs to be in place.
In response to ETV Bharat's question as to what Germany's stand on the overall Israel-Palestine was and why it decided to abstain from voting on the UN resolution over the conflict, Ambassador Ackermann said, "We consider the Hamas attack as a terror assault. We clearly understand Israel's right to self-defense but at the same time, we ask Israel to look into their actions in Gaza to accept and keep in mind the humanitarian international law which is very important. That's why in New York, we tried to negotiate with many countries to get good results but unfortunately, the terrorist attack by Hamas was not mentioned, despite a good Canadian amendment proposal that did not get the necessary votes."
"This is the reason for our abstention and I think, this was a very similar case for which the Indian government also abstained to vote," the German ambassador added.
Meanwhile, Germany's State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Jochen Flasbarth, reiterated Germany's stance over the conflict and said, "Germany made it clear that it is on the side of Israel. There was a vast and clear abstention by the German Chancellor at the UN. At the same time, we need to look at the people affected by the conflict on both sides, so we need to ensure that the humanitarian corridor is open for Gaza."
"We have a long-standing cooperation with Palestinian territories. There is a public debate but we make sure that our support to Palestinian territories does not get in the hands of terrorists and that's what we are assessing currently," Flashbarth told ETV Bharat.
Germany, a staunch ally of Israel, abstained together with several other European countries and India, amid growing calls from international humanitarian organizations to end civilian suffering in Gaza.
Israel has criticized Germany for not rejecting a UN resolution that called for an urgent humanitarian truce in Gaza. According to sources, Israeli’s ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, said Germany’s decision last week to abstain in the UN General Assembly vote was more than disappointing for his country.
Also read: 'Will continue to help Ukraine to defend its territory': German envoy to India Dr Philipp Ackermann
