Germany Israeli shots against diplomats cause outrage
Shots fired by Israeli forces in the direction of a registered delegation of foreign diplomats in the occupied West Bank have caused outrage in the European Union. The German government has demanded an explanation from the Israeli government as to how this could have happened: "The Federal Foreign Office strongly condemns this unprovoked firing. We can count ourselves lucky that nothing worse happened," a spokesperson said in a statement.
21.05.2025, 19:25
SDA
The Palestinian Authority (PA) had previously announced that the Israeli army had fired shots in the vicinity of the delegation during the diplomatic visit. The PA Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the incident in the city in the north of the West Bank. There were initially no reports of casualties. Israel's military spoke of warning shots after the incident and announced an investigation.
France announces recall of ambassador
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas urged Israel to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice. "Any threat to the lives of diplomats is unacceptable," she said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the incident as "unacceptable" and announced that the Israeli ambassador to France would be summoned. Similar reactions came from countries such as Italy, Spain and Belgium.
When asked by dpa whether the Israeli ambassador had been summoned, as in other countries, the Federal Foreign Office replied: "Foreign Minister Wadephul spoke directly to the Israeli Foreign Minister on the phone today."
Extremely tense situation in the West Bank
The incident in Jenin illustrates just how dangerous the situation is in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It has been tense for a long time - and has become even more so since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, according to the Ministry of Health, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks by extremists. At the same time, there has been increased violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.
Jenin is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians. In January, Israel launched the largest military offensive against armed groups in the West Bank for a long time. According to the UN, tens of thousands of people have had to leave their homes in the affected areas.
Belgium: Vehicles of the delegation were clearly recognizable
There is also a refugee camp in the city - according to media reports, the foreign diplomats were in Jenin to visit it and find out about the humanitarian situation on the ground.
A German diplomat and a driver from the Ramallah representation office were also part of the delegation, according to the Federal Foreign Office. The group was traveling in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army.
According to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, the delegation of around 20 diplomats was traveling in a convoy of around 20 clearly recognizable vehicles.
Israel: Diplomatic convoy deviated from route
Israel's military announced that the delegation had deviated from a previously approved route for the visit to Jenin and had entered an area where they should not have been. Israeli soldiers fired warning shots to keep the group of people at a distance, the statement continued.
After it emerged that they were the diplomats, the army launched an investigation. Representatives of the countries affected by the incident are to be contacted. They are to be informed of the results of the investigation. In the statement, the army emphasized that it regrets the "inconvenience caused".
Federal Foreign Office: Diplomats indispensable as independent observers
The Foreign Ministry of the Palestinian Authority (PA) described the incident as a "blatant and serious violation of international law".
The Foreign Office spokesperson emphasized: "The independent observer role of the diplomats on the ground is indispensable and in no way represents a threat to Israeli security interests." The Israeli government must respect the inviolability of diplomats.
