The statements of the far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are no longer treated in Germany as just another political provocation.
His call to kill between 30 and 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip every night, including people who do not pose an immediate threat, sparked a cross-party wave of anger, prompting German politicians to demand European sanctions against him, while other voices went so far as to call for a halt to arms exports to Israel and the suspension of the partnership agreement between it and the European Union.
These demands are particularly important because they were not issued by opposition parties alone, but included senior officials in the two parties participating in the German government, the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party, which increases the pressure on Berlin to go beyond statements of condemnation and take a practical stance against the far-right ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
A call from within the government camp
Jürgen Hardt, the foreign policy spokesman for the Christian Democratic Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir.
The newspaper Die Zeit quoted Hart as telling Politico that “Ben-Gvir’s inhumane statements cannot be ignored by any human being,” adding that the European Union should impose sanctions on him “in reference to the universality of human dignity and human rights.”
The politician, who belongs to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party, believes that an Israeli government without Ben-Gvir could contribute to restoring rapprochement between Israel and Europe, in a direct criticism of the composition of Netanyahu's current government.
Deutschlandfunk radio reported that the Social Democratic Party's foreign policy spokesperson, Adis Ahmedovic, and his counterpart from the Green Party, Deborah Döring, also expressed their support for European action against Ben-Gvir. Markus Frohnmeier, the foreign policy spokesperson for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group, also criticized the Israeli minister's remarks.
Arms ceasefire and suspension of the partnership agreement
Lea Reisner, a politician from the Left Party, went further than demanding individual sanctions, calling on the German government to halt all arms exports to Israel.
Reisner told Deutschlandfunk that the European Union should also suspend its partnership agreement with Israel, which regulates political and trade relations between the two sides and grants Israel broad privileges in the European market.
The German government has not yet announced its adoption of the demand for sanctions or a halt to arms exports, but the issuance of these calls by representatives of government and opposition parties puts it under increasing pressure, especially since Berlin has been accused for years of protecting Israel from stricter European measures.
The European Union failed last June to reach a consensus on imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stating at the time that member states were unable to agree on the decision. Decisions regarding external sanctions require consensus among EU member states.
In contrast, several European countries have taken unilateral steps ahead of the European Union. According to Deutschlandfunk, Spain, France, and Ireland have imposed entry restrictions on Ben-Gvir, while other countries have already taken action against him and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence and calling for the displacement of Palestinians.
"People who don't deserve to live"
The latest wave of anger came after Ben-Gvir participated in a podcast in which he called for targeted killings to be carried out in Gaza every night.
The Israeli minister said, “I believe targeted killings should be carried out in Gaza, eliminating 30 or 40 people every night.” He clarified that he wasn't only referring to people who pose an immediate threat, but claimed that there are people in the Gaza Strip who “don't deserve to live.”
Ben-Gvir also promoted what he called a “population exchange” in the Gaza Strip, effectively calling for pushing Palestinians towards emigration and establishing Israeli settlements in the Strip.
His remarks coincided with similar positions taken by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip, the establishment of Israeli military rule there, the construction of settlements, and the encouragement of Palestinians to leave.
“There is no other solution,” Smotrich told students at a Jewish religious seminary in Sderot, in remarks that reinforce fears that calls for displacement and resettlement in Gaza are no longer just marginal slogans, but have turned into a political project put forward by influential ministers within the Israeli government.
Anger within Jewish circles
The condemnation was not limited to German politicians. In Austria, Elie Rosen, head of the Jewish community in the states of Salzburg, Styria and Carinthia, described Ben-Gvir as “a disgrace to the entire Jewish people and a disgrace to the State of Israel.”
Rosen called on the Israeli government to take clear action and remove Ben-Gvir from the government, in a stance that reflects the widening gap between sectors of European Jewish communities and the policies of the Israeli far right.
Former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein, had previously called on Berlin to adopt a tougher stance toward Netanyahu's government. He told the German editorial network RND that Germany could push for sanctions against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, and take action against goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Stein added that Germany should clearly state its expectations of the new Israeli government, either before or immediately after the upcoming Israeli elections.
Netanyahu's survival card
Deutschlandfunk explains that Ben-Gvir is not merely an extremist voice within Netanyahu's government, but rather one of its key guarantors. The withdrawal of his party's, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), members from the coalition could lead to the government losing its majority in the Knesset.
Ben-Gvir uses this influence to pressure Netanyahu and reject any concessions in the Gaza negotiations, and he constantly threatens to bring down the government if it agrees to compromises that do not meet his demands.Israeli elections are scheduled for October 27, with polls suggesting that neither Netanyahu's camp nor his opponents may be able to form a clear majority. This could give Ben-Gvir and his party additional leverage in negotiations to form the next government.
