UK, Germany chide Israeli operation in Gaza, call for ‘sustainable ceasefire’

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The U.K. and Germany issued a joint call over the weekend for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization, marking a shift in both countries’ policy towards Jerusalem and the ongoing war in Gaza.

Foreign ministers David Cameron of Britain and Annalena Baerbock of Germany penned a joint op-ed piece published by The Sunday Times of London on Saturday, indicating an apparent softening of support for Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas.

The two foreign ministers lamented in the piece that “too many civilians have been killed” in the ongoing war, and urged Israel to take steps to limit collateral damage in the Gaza Strip.

While both Baerbock and Cameron acknowledged that calls for an immediate, permanent ceasefire would only enable Hamas to rebuild its capabilities, the two lobbied for a “sustainable” ceasefire that could endure for years.

Calls globally for an immediate ceasefire are “an understandable reaction to such intense suffering, and we share the view that this conflict cannot drag on and on. That is why we supported the recent humanitarian pauses.”

“Our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations.”

“We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable.”

The ministers backed Israel’s right to self-defense, while emphasizing that Israel “must abide by international humanitarian law.”

“Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful coexistence with Palestinians.”