Latest news with #Merz
New York Post
20 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
German chancellor endorses Israel doing the world's ‘dirty work' with airstrikes on Iran
Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday endorsed Israel's airstrikes on Iran, saying it was doing essential work for Germany and others. 'This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,' Merz told the ZDF broadcaster during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada. The phrasing came in response to a question from an interviewer who had used the term. 'We are also affected by this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,' Merz added. Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, lauded Merz's remarks. 5 'This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us' said Merz during an interview. 'Chancellor Friedrich Merz clearly described the realities in the Middle East with his choice of words,' Prosor told German news agency DPA. He added that Iran's nuclear ambitions may be directed at Israel, 'but they threaten the security of the entire world. 'The missiles currently hitting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also threaten Berlin, Paris and London,' Prosor said. The supply chain of terror must be interrupted.' 5 Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, lauded Merz's remarks. via REUTERS 5 Prosor claims 'The missiles currently hitting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also threaten Berlin, Paris and London.' via REUTERS Prosor noted that Iranian arms shipments and Houthi attacks on international shipping had decreased recently, showing that pressure is working. 'This is a litmus test for whether Europeans are willing to stand up for their values and interests independently.' In the interview, Merz said he had 'the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army had the courage to do this, that the Israeli leadership had the courage to do this.' In the German political establishment, Merz's remark prompted some rebuke by opposition leaders and members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the left-center coalition partner of his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. 5 Merz has 'the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army had the courage to do this, that the Israeli leadership had the courage to do this.' Iranian Red Crescent/AFP via Getty Images 5 In the German political establishment, Merz's remark prompted some rebuke by opposition leaders and members of the Social Democratic Party. via REUTERS 'When people are killed, Merz calls it dirty work. In doing so, he mocks the victims of war and violence,' Jan van Aken, leader of the Left Party, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday. But within the CDU, senior party members defended Merz. 'What the chancellor expressed with his words was that it cannot be in the interest of all of us for a terrorist regime like the Iranian mullah regime to possess nuclear weapons,' one senior CDU official, Thorsten Frei, told the same newspaper. Frei added that the threat isn't limited to the Middle East. 'Iran's missile technology is such that medium-range missiles can reach very long-range targets—even in Europe. That's why we can't pretend that none of this concerns us.'
DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Putin ready to talk with Germany's Merz – DW – 06/19/2025
Skip next section Putin warns Germany over Ukraine missiles, open to Merz talks 06/19/2025 June 19, 2025 Putin warns Germany over Ukraine missiles, open to Merz talks Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's open to speaking with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but has issued a stark warning over potential weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Speaking to senior news agency editors, Putin said, "we are always open to this." However, the Russian leader warned of "very serious damage" to German-Russian relations if Berlin decides to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Ahead of his election earlier this year, Merz expressed support for supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, provided such action is coordinated with European allies. The Taurus missiles would allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that Germany is not considering delivering Taurus missiles. Putin also said he did not consider Germany a neutral mediator when it came to the war in Ukraine. "We consider the Federal Republic, just like many other European countries, not a neutral state, but as a party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases, perhaps, as accomplices in these hostilities," Putin said. Is Germany's Merz backtracking on his support for Ukraine? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Iran conflict to derail EU review of Israeli association agreement
BRUSSELS — The EU is unlikely to suspend its association agreement with Israel in the context of its current conflict with Iran, sources familiar with the issue have told Euronews. Last month a majority of the EU foreign ministers backed a Dutch proposal to review the bloc's ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza. The EU's diplomatic corps, the External Action Service (EEAS), has been reviewing the bloc's wide-ranging trade and cooperation agreement with Israel over its military offensive in Gaza and the West Bank as well as its blocking of food, fuel, water and basic medical supplies to the besieged population. The report was initiated to establish whether Israel violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a broad-ranging pact that defines the trading and diplomatic relations between both sides. On Monday, EU foreign ministers will debate the review, with several EU diplomatic sources saying it expected to find Israel in breach of the provisions. But two sources familiar with the issue told Euronews that member states will not respond by suspending in all, or even part the agreement with Israel due to its conflict with countries remain keen to push for a suspension. 'We can safely assume what the review will say; if it's going to be in any way credible it'll say Israel is in breach of Article 2,' an EU diplomat from a country which supported the review told Euronews, adding: 'The main matter of business is getting a ceasefire in Gaza – and whatever we decide to do, it should be aimed at getting at that.'But a momentum of pressure recently applied to Israel has now slowed due to the conflict with Iran, the two sources said.'The pendulum has swung back to [support for] Israel."'It's unlikely the EU will suspend EU-Israel agreement due to Iran Israel war,' one of the sources position of Germany in the negotiations is also critical to the discussions as a decision to suspend part of the agreement under qualified majority voting will require the weight of month German Chancellor Friedrich Merz shifted the support of Germany — traditionally a stalwart ally of Israel —behind the decision to review the Association Agreement, saying he no longer understood the Israeli army's goal in Gaza.'To harm the civilian population in such a way... can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism,' Merz said at the Merz has strongly supported Israel in the context of the current strikes on Iran saying at the G7 on Tuesday that 'Israel is doing the dirty work for the rest of us'.'The strikes on Iran should be additional pressure on Israel to suspend the association agreement,' Martin Konecny, who heads the European Middle East Project, told Euronews.'But now it could create the opposite, it will literally be reduced and it brings the attention away from Gaza,' he foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has reiterated EU calls for a diplomatic resolution to the Israel-Iran conflict. And again called on all sides to 'abide by international law, and de-escalate the situation'.'We will not lose sight of what is happening in Gaza... we again call for immediate full aid access, ceasefire, and the release of hostages,' she rejected the EU decision to review the bloc's trade and cooperation pact with the country over its intensified offensive in Gaza."We completely reject the direction taken in the statement, which reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing," Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said on X at the time of the decision. — Euronews
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Germany's Merz sparks backlash by saying Israel doing ‘the dirty work' for West
dpa Berlin German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has caused a stir at home after suggesting that Israel, which launched large-scale attacks on Iran last week, was doing 'the dirty work' for the West. The remarks, made at the end of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, drew ire from German politicians on Wednesday, including from members of Merz's coalition partner. Ralf Stegner, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told Der Spiegel news magazine that it was 'more than strange' that 'the chancellor says that Israel is doing our dirty work for us in Iran.' He said Merz's statement suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attack against Iran 'was presumably contrary to international law.' Stegner said it was completely inappropriate for a representative of Germany to publicly express relief in light of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, with Iran having launched a number of retaliatory attacks since Israeli strikes began on Friday. Speaking at the end of a meeting of the world's seven major industrialized nations, Merz on Tuesday told German public broadcaster ZDF that Israel is currently doing 'the dirty work' for the entire West. 'I can only say that I have the utmost respect for the Israeli army for having the courage to do this, and for the Israeli leadership for having the courage to do this,' he said. While Sören Pellmann, head of the far-left The Left party in parliament, accused the German leader of 'throwing international law overboard,' Anton Hofreiter, from the opposition Greens, told broadcaster Welt TV that he thought Merz's choice of words had been 'clumsy.' Germany has been one of Israel's fiercest backers throughout the country's military campaign in Gaza. Following Israel's attacks on Iran, the conservative-led government in Berlin did not condemn the strikes but stressed Israel's right to self-defence. When confronted with the criticism in Berlin on Wednesday, Merz brushed off the comments. 'This statement has received overwhelming approval,' he said, claiming there had only been a few critical voices and refusing to comment further.
DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Iran summons German envoy after Merz' pro-Israel comments – DW – 06/18/2025
06/18/2025 June 18, 2025 Iran summons German ambassador over Merz' pro-Israel remarks The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned on Wednesday the German ambassador to Tehran due to remarks made a day earlier by Chancellor Friedrich Merz,saying that by striking Iran, Israel was "doing the dirty work for us all." "Following the shameful statements made by the German chancellor in support of Tel Aviv's aggression against our country, the country's (Germany's) ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry," Iranian state TV reported. Merz also said on Tuesday that the complete destruction of Iran's nuclear program could be on the agenda if Tehran does not return to negotiations.
