Response from Berlin

The eyes of the international community are on the Middle East, where a new flare-up seems to be at hand, as the possibility of Iranian retaliation against Israel is pending, while on August 15 new negotiations are expected with a view to a cease-fire in Gaza and the liberation hostages.

The criticality of the situation is also shown by the fact that even Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to the Kremlin, while his country is under, as he said, a Ukrainian attack in Kursk. “Of course we are concerned with what is happening in the Middle East and Palestine,” the Russian president told the Russian news agency. “We believe you, we trust you, we sense that we have your support,” Mahmoud Abbas told Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, international pressure is increasing both on Iran and Israel. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in this difficult summer and for Germany against the backdrop of Ukraine and the fragile governmental balance with a budget reminiscent of a minefield, is called to take a stand.

On Monday, according to German media, he had a telephone conversation with the new Iranian president, Massoud Pezheskian, appealing for de-escalation efforts in the Middle East. Germany is one of four Western powers, along with the US, France and Britain, involved in a new bid to avoid Iranian retaliation.

Berlin wants to prevent a ‘spiral of violence’

Earlier, the German chancellor had also spoken by phone with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to reach an agreement with Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an agreement to release the hostages. That’s where he was. government representative Wolfgang Bichner from Berlin. He stressed that the German government condemns threats by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel and its citizens and endangering security in the Middle East, as they could trigger an uncontrollable “spiral of violence”.

However, as German media and analysts are already commenting, the next period will be critical for Germany since it cannot be ruled out that it will once again face its historical responsibilities towards Israel, especially if it requests military support. After all, Angela Merkel, in her historic speech to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, had characterized Germany’s responsibility towards Israel as a “state imperative”, equivalent to a moral obligation but also a constitutional duty.

As the analyst Karstev Owens, head of the Elnet-Deutschland organization which deals with German-Israeli relations, points out in Welt, Israel “looks to Europe and in particular to the support of Germany in particular”, stressing that this support could be made concrete by equipping deterrence technologies.

Flight cancellations portend difficult days

But beyond the political field and diplomatic processes, the messages coming from the competitive space of airlines are ominous. Lufthansa announced on Monday that it is extending the decision to cancel all flights to the crisis centers in the Middle East until August 21, instead of August 13, according to the original plan.

Thus, until August 21, all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman and Erbil are cancelled, while for the same period of time no flights will be carried out in the airspace of Iran and Iraq. However, Lufthansa offers the possibility of canceling tickets free of charge until August 31. Corresponding arrangements apply to all the airlines of the group, Austrian, Swiss, Eurowings and Brussels Airlines.