The attack on UNIFIL by Israeli forces triggered a vehement reaction from the West. The actions of the IDF against the UN positions have made many turn up their noses, even among the greatest supporters of the Jewish State, and part of the left has taken the opportunity to renew the request for suspend the delivery of weapons in Tel Aviv. Even in Italy there was no shortage of soloists, with the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein on the front line: “Netanyahu must be stopped, his criminal actions can no longer be tolerated. But calls for de-escalation remain in vain if we do not try to do everything we can to stop this spiral of war. The Government supports the position already expressed by other European leaders to stop all arms exports to Israel.” A very dear appeal to comrades and pro-Pal, but the greatest lesson for Bonaccini’s former deputy always comes from the left, to be precise from Olaf Scholz.
Despite the ongoing debate in Europe, the German Chancellor did not mince his words: Germany will continue to deliver weapons to the Jewish state. “There are arms deliveries to Israel and there will be in the future. Israel can rely on this”, Scholz said in front of the Bundestag ahead of the European Council. The leader of the German left reiterated the need to reach a truce in the Middle East, but without compromising in any way material support for Netanyahu’s country.
An obligatory clarification, given the tensions in Berlin, which should also be taken as an example by the Democratic Party and other pacifist left-wing parties. Already in recent days Scholz had reiterated his closeness to Israel, recalling how Germany – after the United States – is one of the most important arms exporters to Tel Aviv. The message is clear: the axis with Israel cannot be broken, but rather must be constantly strengthened in an era characterized by rampant anti-Semitism.
Differences on the issue of the arms embargo on Israel are also strong in Europe. “Some countries support the idea, others are against it and even ask to increase arms supplies to Israel. This is a national competence, but the division is strong” underlined Borrell. According to some sources, there were no discussions on the topic in the Council precisely because of the disagreements. Spain and Ireland invoked the embargo, in clear contrast to Scholz’s Germany. In recent days, French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke on the topic, raising the issue by accusing governments of inconsistency when they ask for a ceasefire in Gaza while continuing to supply the Israeli forces with weapons.
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