If I wished for peaceful and spectacular Olympic Games last week, I can now report at half-time: No major incidents. After all. Nevertheless - while ZDF reports through Thomas Walde of "a lot of solidarity" for the Israeli athletes and Israeli visitors, the reality is probably different. In the video clip you can also see this at minute 1: 21.
First the man with the Palestinian flag says that everyone can carry their flags openly. Then, when the man with the Israeli flag arrives, they shout: Terrorist, get lost with your flag! - So much for solidarity...
Other media also report quite differently on the situation of the Israeli athletes. Here there is talk of curfews for the athletes and death threats.
At least nobody has been harmed yet, which must be seen as a success in these times.
But there was more to report this week besides the Olympics. Firstly, the waiting for the attack, as the Jüdische Allgemeine puts it (https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/israel/das-warten-auf-den-angriff/). Although some attacks have already taken place today - a deadly knife attack with 2 dead Israelis´ in Holon (https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/israel/zwei-tote-bei-terroranschlag-in-holon/) and dozens of rockets on northern Israel from Lebanon (https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-08/israel-libanon-luftangriff-hisbollah-raketen).
And I wonder when our government will finally come clean and let us know what the much-vaunted reason of state is all about.
Will we, will Germany, support Israel militarily?
Our Minister of Defense doesn't seem to have heard of telephone, zoom or, for that matter, fax. When asked by a journalist, he talks his way out of it and claims that as he is currently 10,000 km away (oh, you can really hear the stone falling from his heart!), he cannot comment on this. He is not involved in the discussions! “The situation in the Middle East is being assessed on a daily basis together with the Foreign Ministry and the Chancellery, said Pistorius. "We are preparing for what could come our way, such as an evacuation. But at the moment we are only in the preparation phase, not the action phase." However, due to his current stay in the Indo-Pacific, he is not involved in the "current talks taking place in Berlin" (https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article252832332/Boris-Pistorius-Beteiligung-deutscher-Soldaten-zum-Schutz-Israels-gerade-voellig-unvorstellbar.html). A fit of laughter from my side!
The opposition is already further along in its discussion. Since “CDU calls for Bundeswehr participation in coalition to protect Israel - Western intelligence services warn that Iran will soon launch a massive retaliatory strike against Israel. CDU foreign policy expert Kiesewetter insists that Germany should also provide military support for a defense” (https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/israel-droht-vergeltung-durch-iran-cdu-fordert-beteiligung-der-bundeswehr-zum-schutz-a-c8d546a2-e916-45aa-aaa3-e45a3c6fcf04).
In any case, I will take Mrs. Merkel at her word (English below)!
„Besonderen Anlass zur Sorge geben ohne Zweifel die Drohungen, die der iranische Präsident gegen Israel und das jüdische Volk richtet. Seine wiederholten Schmähungen und das iranische Nuklearprogramm sind eine Gefahr für Frieden und Sicherheit. Wenn der Iran in den Besitz der Atombombe käme, dann hätte das verheerende Folgen – zuerst
Foto: Israeli Air Force, Twitter in:
und vor allem für die Sicherheit und Existenz Israels, dann für die gesamte Region und schließlich, weit darüber hinaus, für alle in Europa und der Welt, für alle, denen die Werte Freiheit, Demokratie und Menschenwürde etwas bedeuten. Das muss verhindert werden.
Dabei muss eines klar sein – ich habe es bereits vor den Vereinten Nationen im vergangenen September gesagt und ich wiederhole es heute: Nicht die Welt muss Iran beweisen, dass Iran die Atombombe baut; der Iran muss die Welt überzeugen, dass er die Atombombe nicht will.
Gerade an dieser Stelle sage ich ausdrücklich: Jede Bundesregierung und jeder Bundeskanzler vor mir waren der besonderen historischen Verantwortung Deutschlands für die Sicherheit Israels verpflichtet. Diese historische Verantwortung Deutschlands ist Teil der Staatsräson meines Landes. Das heißt, die Sicherheit Israels ist für mich als deutsche Bundeskanzlerin niemals verhandelbar. Und wenn das so ist, dann dürfen das in der Stunde der Bewährung keine leeren Worte bleiben“.
„The Iranian president's threats against Israel and the Jewish people are undoubtedly a particular cause for concern. His repeated insults and Iran's nuclear program are a threat to peace and security. If Iran were to acquire a nuclear bomb, it would have devastating consequences - first and foremost for the security and existence of Israel, then for the entire region and finally, far beyond that, for everyone in Europe and the world, for everyone who cares about the values of freedom, democracy and human dignity. This must be prevented.
One thing must be clear - I already said this at the United Nations last September and I repeat it today: it is not the world that must prove to Iran that it is building the nuclear bomb; Iran must convince the world that it does not want the nuclear bomb.
At this point in particular, I would like to say explicitly that every Federal Government and every Federal Chancellor before me was committed to Germany's special historical responsibility for Israel's security.
This historical responsibility of Germany is part of my country's reason of state. This means that Israel's security is never negotiable for me as German Chancellor. And if this is the case, then these must not remain empty words in the hour of trial”.