Open letter on the war in Israel and Palestine

To Mr. Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor
To Ms. Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
To Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection

June 21, 2024

Dear Chancellor Scholz,
Dear Foreign Minister Baerbock,
Dear Dr. Habeck, Minister of Economic Affairs,

We condemn the horrific attack by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 7 against Israeli and international civilians. We condemn the murders, the rapes and the hostage-takings. We stand in solidarity with the victims on both sides. We demand an end to the terror and suffering of the civilian population in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel and the release of all hostages and political prisoners.

On June 10, 2024, after 247 days of war in Gaza, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2735 by 14 votes in favor – with the Russian Federation abstaining – which proposes a comprehensive three-stage ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza and calls on both Israel and Hamas to implement this agreement fully and without delay.

This resolution must not remain without consequences. Unfortunately, this resolution was passed without any measures to enforce the demands, although the Security Council would be the body that could order measures such as sanctions or the deployment of blue helmets. Their words and appeals are empty and ineffective without decisive action.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague has accepted the genocide complaint against Israel and thus confirmed an initial suspicion that the state of Israel is guilty of this serious crime in Gaza. The publicly expressed fantasies of annihilation by Israeli ministers and generals are disturbing. Serious human rights crimes were committed in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023; the response must not be to commit serious human rights violations ourselves.

To date, more than 37,000 people have been killed in Gaza, two thirds of them women and children, as well as international aid workers. Many were mutilated, traumatized, orphaned or still lie buried under the rubble. These human casualties and the destruction of the entire infrastructure are not collateral damage in the fight against terrorism, but resemble a collective punishment of innocent people.

The German government is not acting in our name when it justifies the completely disproportionate violence of the IDF as legitimate self-defense, verbally calls for the protection of innocent people, but actually supports and politically flanks this excess of violence with arms deliveries.

As DFG-VK Bayern, we can no longer remain silent. We call on you to stand up for

an immediate ceasefire,
an immediate stop to arms deliveries to Israel, as well as to all crisis and war zones worldwide, as agreed in the coalition agreement
the suspension of the Israel-EU Association Agreement, which commits both partners to respecting human rights, and
an end to the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and a just political solution.

We affirm our responsibility for the lives of Jews, which arises from our history, but we also see such a responsibility for Palestinians. The lesson of the Holocaust can only be this: Stand up for universal human rights and the dignity of all people.

Responsibility and friendship will first and foremost be demonstrated by pushing the Israeli government onto the path of just peace.

Yours sincerely,
Thomas Rödl
Managing Director
DFG-VK Bavaria

German Peace Society –
United Opponents of Military Service
State Association of Bavaria (DFG-VK Bayern)
Frauenlobstr. 24 Rgb.
80337 Munich
Phone: 089 / 89 62 34 46
bayern@dfg-vk.de
www.dfg-vk-bayern.de

About the DFG-VK-Bayern
The DFG-VK unites people who strive to eliminate war and its causes by non-violent means. In our pacifist and anti-militarist objectives, we are united with people who pursue the same goals – regardless of the country.

You can download the open letter HERE