Journal | We Must Never Let This Happen Again!

Introduction

I FIRST visited Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem in 1998. In my subsequent visits to Israel in this century, it is a place I always head to.

This week, our new Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) undertook her first trip to the Middle East in that capacity.

I am, of course, a resolute supporter of Israel, and always have been. The passage of time, nevertheless, teaches me that the Palestinian Peoples also have a right to self-determination and that a two-state solution has to be the way forward. But it is fraught with difficulty, and each side is obstinate.

However, Frau Baerbock is also resolute in her determination to confront anti-Semitism, a resolve she shares equally with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Jair Lapid.

I

In the German Foreign Minister’s Address to the People of Israel, the worldwide Diaspora, and all the world’s Nations, Frau Baerbock spoke from her heart as a young mother. This moved many of us in Germany and in the United Kingdom, where, sadly in both countries, as in other parts of Europe, anti-Semitism is on the rise again.

Being the immediate post-war generation, I cannot fathom this, but the Address did something else … it challenged the tendency of many good and decent Germans to cease the impenetrable silence both on the subject of the Holocaust and the tumultuous years 1933-1946 that saw the virtual destruction of the Greater German People at the hands of one man, that destruction playing out in the Nuremberg Trials.

II

It is good that Frau Baerbock, in her inaugural visit to Israel, had the measured confidence to explain why the German Government is undeterred that the negotiated two-state solution remains the best solution. It is right to praise Israel for its “confidence-building steps”, which include the resumption of issuing work permits to Palestinians, whilst at the same time pointing to the inequity of Israeli settlement building, pointing out that “we [the German Government] consider the construction of settlements to be harmful and incompatible with international law.”

The Foreign Minister did, however, issue a strong caveat to those who might presume that Israel must change, pointing out that she was only too aware that no quick solution was available in regard to this continuing Middle East conflict. “I’m under no illusions about that.”

It is imperative that fresh impetus be given, new attempts at finding a solution, provide all parties with the means to move forward, and this always has to be correct.

“The status quo always leads to escalation. With terrible consequences for the people on both sides.”

She emphasized that Israel can continue to count on Germany's solidarity and commitment to Israel's security.

III

Baerbock also spoke out in favour of greater cooperation in climate and energy policy. In the Middle East region, even higher temperatures and water shortages are to be feared in the future. "The establishment of diplomatic relations with Arab countries opens up enormous new opportunities in the field of climate and energy."

Die Welt reports that Mr Lapid spoke of a "long and positive meeting" with Frau Baerbock. Germany's friendship with Israel is based on the firm understanding Germany does not deny the past. He made it clear that there are different opinions between Germany and Israel, especially on the subject of building settlements, but that he appreciates the exchange on this. For him, relations with Germany are among the most important relations of all.

 IV

Mr Lapid dismissed statements suggesting that Israel was an apartheid state, describing these statements as shameful and unacceptable. Lapid said. And it concerns me when I see that Amnesty International is always in the vanguard with such statements. 

Foreign Minister Baerbock, in her Address:

“I am fighting against anti-Semitism in the world together with Israel, also because of German history. It has many roots, all of which must be counted in equal measure, and I will intensify youth exchanges between Germany and Israel. As a mother of two daughters, my breath catches when I think of the millions of children who have been murdered, taken from their parents, left alone, terrified. Yad Vashem is a reminder to hear the voices of those who have experienced the horror themselves and to pass on their words. It is our duty to keep the memory alive and our responsibility to raise our voices: against anti-Semitism, hatred and hate speech, exclusion and violence.”

— Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister at Yad Vashem Memorial

This is the Foreign Minister’s is inaugural visit to the Middle East. After the talks with Mr Lapid, Frau Baerbock continued on to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Rijad al-Maliki.
The visit included a visit to the Talibeh refugee camp in Jordan last Friday, before meeting her colleague Ayman Safadi, concluding her journey with a visit to Egypt on Saturday. 

Sources ~ Die Welt and International Media.

The German Foreign Minister, Frau Annalena Baerbock in her Address to the Nation of Israel and the Diaspora, and the wider world, at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem

13 February 2022
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© Kenneth Thomas Webb 2022