German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that a ceasefire in Gaza and the release by Hamas of all the remaining Israeli hostages could be achieved within a week, stressing Europe’s role in securing a deal.
“I hope that within the next week we can reach an initial agreement — meaning a ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and humanitarian aid for Gaza,” Wadephul told Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, of which POLITICO is a member, during an interview in Tel Aviv.
Wadephul, who was in Israel for talks with his counterpart, dismissed recent claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Europe has been “absent” in finding a resolution to the war and that it has “caved in to Palestinian terrorism.”
“Europe is important — the United Kingdom and France are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and both matter. The European Union as a whole is also important,” Wadephul said, arguing that Germany has also played an active role.
“Yesterday, I spoke with the Qatari foreign minister and prime minister — the key man in contact with Hamas … Tonight, I’ll fly to Cairo to meet the Egyptian foreign minister,” he said. “I’m doing exactly what a foreign minister should: Building understanding, exchanging positions, helping mediate, building bridges … Whether it ultimately helps achieve success, we’ll see — but it’s my duty to keep trying.”
Reflecting on the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks that killed some 1,200 people two years ago, Wadephul said he had warned colleagues early on that Israel’s retaliation would eventually test Western support: “At some point people would start saying, ‘Israel is overdoing it now.’”
He expressed disappointment at Germany’s solidarity demonstrations, which he attended in the wake of the deadly attack, noting that “empathy wasn’t as widespread or as strong as I had hoped” and citing a “certain alienation” linked to Israel’s settlement policies.
“Many came, yes — but not enough to fill the entire Straße des 17. Juni up to the Victory Column. That’s how it should have been — but it wasn’t,” he said. “That deep empathy, that solidarity wasn’t as widespread or as strong as I had hoped.”
On the topic of combating rising antisemitism, which has been reported around Europe during the past two years, Wadephul said: “Of course, antisemitism itself still exists. Some exploit it politically. And yes — though I don’t say this to justify anything — at times, unwise policies by Israeli governments have contributed to this climate too.”
Clarifying that this is not his view, he said: “That’s how some people perceive it. I speak with citizens — I’m a directly elected MP — and I see how criticism of Israel often merges with antisemitic attitudes. That’s wrong, but it happens. And we have to acknowledge it before we can confront it.”
He also condemned Israel’s Gaza blockade earlier this year while reaffirming Berlin’s commitment to Israel’s security: “Israel is our most important security partner in the Middle East — and it always will be.”
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