Klöckner makes a surprise visit to Gaza

As the first female European politician

Klöckner makes a surprise visit to Gaza

Since the outbreak of war, Israel has restricted access to the Gaza Strip. Now Bundestag President Klöckner dares to visit.

Bundestag President Julia Klöckner was the first German politician to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the Bundestag, she stayed in the part of the Gaza Strip controlled by Israeli forces for about an hour. The journalists accompanying them were unable to come to the Gaza Strip.

Klöckner wanted to get her own picture of the situation on site and see what hardly anyone really sees, she said, according to a report by “ZDFheute”. She welcomes the fact that Israel has now allowed a parliamentary observer access to the Gaza Strip for the first time. “Access to different, reliable assessments of the situation is a prerequisite for responsible political classification,” said Klöckner. According to “ZDFheute,” she also appealed to Israel to “continue on this path of opening.”

The “yellow line” defined in the peace plan, which delimits the area controlled by Israel, is not a permanent border, but only a temporary demarcation line. “It must not become a permanent barrier,” emphasized Klöckner.

This makes access for international, independent observers and, in the future, a timetable for further steps to implement the peace plan all the more important. “Transparent situation reports strengthen trust.”

The Green Party leader Franziska Brantner criticized the fact that Klöckner only experienced a limited part of the reality in the Gaza Strip. “It’s good that Bundestag President Julia Klöckner wants to get a picture of Gaza on site. But if she does this without even listening to the Palestinians’ side, she will have to accept the accusation of only wanting to perceive the reality in this region in a one-sided way,” she told “Spiegel”.

Klöckner’s visit to the Gaza Strip was preceded by lengthy negotiations. The evening before it was unclear whether Israel would grant approval. The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, at whose invitation Klöckner traveled to Israel, was also significantly involved.

The visit was sensitive because of the fragile security situation. Despite the ceasefire, incidents continue to occur along the yellow line. According to their own statements, the military killed several Palestinians there at the end of January on the grounds that they had crossed the line and planted an explosive device. According to reports, both the Foreign Office and the German embassy in Tel Aviv had advised Klöckner against visiting Gaza.