Germany should change its policy toward Israel amid mounting violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories, former German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
Israel’s settlement policy amounts to “displacement through psychological and physical violence,” Seibert said in an interview with the weekly Die Zeit newspaper.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel had declared Israel’s security to be part of Germany’s national interest.
Seibert, who served as Merkel’s government spokesperson, said that commitment applies to Israel within its internationally recognised borders.
“But that does not apply to the settlers in the Jordan Valley. Under international law, these are illegal settlements that follow the ideology: ‘This is our land alone; God gave it to us,’” Seibert said.
