Dialogue with Hamas, more pressure on Israel: German Middle East experts are calling on the federal government a different attitude in the Gaza crisis. The balance of the previous policy was sobering.

A coalition of more than 90 German Middle East experts has called on the federal government to change course in the policy towards Israel and Palestine. In an open letter to the government and members of parliament, they require more effort for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Write The initiators:

 “Without lifting of the blockade policy, there is no development perspective for the people in Gaza and no chance for the two-state solution.”

Among the first signatories include Ulrike Freitag, Director of the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies in Berlin, and Udo Steinbach, founding director of the Giga-Institute for Middle East Studies. Also, former ambassador and the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation senior staff have signed the letter.

   “Hamas remains, regardless of the activities of a military wing, a popular political party,” it said in the call. “The dialogue with the political representatives of Hamas                            should therefore be denied no longer, the balance sheet of the isolation policy since the election victory in 2006 is sobering.”

This exchange would have to call for recognition of Israel as part of a peace agreement include. The Palestinian unity government, to which Fatah and the Islamist Hamas had agreed in early June should be strengthened.

Open Letter to Government Alliance:”Negligent use of German tax agents”

In the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip Germany should demand compensation from Israel for the destruction of civilian infrastructure, which is funded with money from the EU and Germany for years. In addition, the experts are calling for a more critical handling of arms exports to Israel:

              “We ask you to apply the restrictive German arms export regulations in the Middle East on all parties to the conflict and to provide military cooperation with                                   Israel to the test.

A perspective for the Palestinians there can be only if the status quo is changed, it is said in the letter:

  “Billions of euros flowing into state-building or development, lack invested when they are destroyed in the current or the next will inevitably following wave of                                violence. This damages mainly local people. It is also a negligent use of German tax funds and a misguided approach to development and democracy work. “

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