“German friends: are you really going to find yourself on the wrong side of history twice over? Are we going to continue to stand idly by in the event of ethnic cleansing? ‘Never again’, right?”, said Caroline Gennez, Minister of Cooperation Development.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has distanced himself from a government minister’s statements on Germany’s position in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Caroline Gennez, Minister of Cooperation Development and a member of the Flemish socialist party, declared – in an interview with Knack magazine – that, in her view, it is “difficult to understand” why Germany “allows itself to be so manipulated by the Israeli government”.
In the interview, Gennez, who is known for her anti-Israel statements, strongly questioned Germany’s position within the EU on the war in Gaza. “It’s (…) hard to understand why (…) Germany is so taken in by the Israeli government, which is pursuing a shameless settlement policy”.
She added a polemical phrase: “German friends: are you really going to find yourself on the wrong side of history twice over? Are we going to continue to stand idly by in the event of ethnic cleansing? ‘Never again’, right?”
The Belgian Prime Minister was keen to reframe Gennez’ comments on Friday.”If we want to play a role, it must be that of a mediator, not an accuser,’’ he said. “I want to clearly distance myself. Let’s play our role as President of the Council of the European Union to build consensus at European level, and that’s not done by pointing the finger at one country,” he added on the sidelines of a visit to Beijing.
Belgium assumes the rotating six-month EU presidency since January 1.
In a reaction to Gennez’ remarks, Germany’s ambassador to Belgium, Martin Kotthaus, clarified his country’s position. “Israel has the right to defend itself against the continuing terrorism of Hamas. At the same time, Israel must do everything in its power to protect the civilian population and adapt its military action accordingly.’’
In November, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck defended his country’s relationship with Israel, speaking about the relationship as a “special” one, and saying it came from a place of what he called historical responsibility after the Holocaust. “It was the generation of my grandparents that wanted to exterminate Jewish life in Germany and Europe,” he said.
CCOJB, the umbrella group of Jewish organizations in Belgium, called Gennez’s comments ”irresponsible and clearly equate the actions of the Israeli government with those of the Nazis.” ”In so doing, they reflect the anti-Semitic stance taken by her,” it said.
Last year, Belgium’s ambassador to Israel was summonned for a reprimand after Gennez stated that ‘’in the occupied Palestinian territories the situation is becoming unsustainable.Entire villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis,’’ she then said in an interview.