According to individuals familiar with the plan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Israel on Tuesday before continuing on to Egypt as Western countries work to stop the Middle East war from escalating.
Following his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Berlin on Tuesday, Scholz will leave, the officials informed the media.
“This is really a sign of solidarity,” Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, told German TV channel Welt, of the reported visit. “He is the first prime minister to visit Israel (since the Hamas-Israel war erupted) and we see that as incredibly important.”
Apart from expressing sympathy with Israel, the German Chancellor stated on Monday that there were issues regarding the security situation and how to stop the confrontation from escalating that needed to be considered.
“The point is to be in constant dialogue with everyone and to prevent such escalation,” Scholz said in Tirana, Albania.
Since at least 1,300 people were killed and scores were held captive in an unprecedented cross-border invasion by Hamas militants on October 7, Germany has sided with Israel.
“The Hamas attack was a terrorist act that was irresponsible, that has terrible consequences, that has killed an unbelievable number of people,” Scholz said. “That is why Israel has every right to defend itself.”
In preparation for an anticipated ground invasion, Israel has replied with its heaviest-ever bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas authorities claim has killed at least 2,808 Palestinians.
Diplomatic efforts to allow holders of foreign passports to leave the beleaguered, densely populated region while permitting aid for Gaza to enter through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt have been hampered by Israel’s unrelenting airstrikes.
The deadliest fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah since a war in 2006 has been occurring across the border for days, raising international concerns about the crisis spreading. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock discussed ways to diffuse the tension last week during meetings in Egypt and Israel.
Last week, both the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Israel. On Monday, Blinken returned to Tel Aviv as part of a longer Middle East mission.
(With agency inputs)
Via Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/hdJjzAl
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