Israel should refrain from ground offensive in Gaza: Former German envoy

BERLIN

Israel should refrain from launching a ground offensive in Gaza, and diplomatic talks should be revived for a two-state solution instead, a prominent former German ambassador said late Tuesday.

Christoph Heusgen, who also served as foreign policy adviser for longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned that a ground offensive could hamper normalization between Israel and Arab countries, and trigger a wider conflagration in the Middle East.

“That’s also what others are warning about, like those who are involved in talks to free the hostages, that’s what Qatar is saying, that’s what Egypt is saying,” Heusgen told public broadcaster ZDF, and called for a de-escalation in the conflict.

“US President (Joe) Biden, former President (Barack) Obama, are also saying this, based on their experiences with the US military operations after 9/11 and their consequences, that Israel should not overreact now out of anger and hatred,” he said.

Heusgen was Merkel’s top security and foreign policy adviser between 2005 and 2017, and served as Germany’s ambassador to the UN from 2017 to 2021. He is currently chairman of the Munich Security Conference.

'Has to be a diplomatic solution'

The experienced diplomat said all the parties should now work to revive diplomacy and enable the resumption of talks for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“There has to be a diplomatic solution. Of course, first of all, everything has to be done now to enable the release of the hostages. Then you have to prevent this from turning into a widespread conflagration, and for that Israeli troops should not stage an incursion into the Gaza Strip,” Heusgen said.

“And then we have to return to talks for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. We have to revive the two-state solution, which is the applicable legal framework, and Israel should also contribute to this. Maybe one cannot imagine this at the moment, but this is the only way out of this turmoil,” he added.

*****Asked about Israel’s sharp criticism of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following his comments on Gaza, the German diplomat said what Guterres said was right.

*****"Guterres is a very level-headed man," Heusgen said, adding that the secretary-general also strongly condemned Hamas over the Oct. 7 attacks.

****“Guterres is right when he said that this did not happen in a vacuum, and when he pointed to the occupation of Palestinian territories for 56 years,” he said.

***** “That's exactly what it is in current international law, and in the resolutions. The latest resolution says that the occupation is a flagrant violation of international law,” Heusgen added.

The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless air campaign against the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 7,200 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 5,791 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water, medicines and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.