11.11.2010
Philipp Mißfelder
unofficial translation: Speech given by Phlipp Mißfelder, MP, Spokesman for Foreign Policy of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group, in the German Bundestag, Berlin on November 11, 2010
Today, we are discussing a resolution that is of great to importance to the foreign affairs committee as a whole and which, we hope, will have an effect in Israel and for all those who follow the dramatic fate of the young soldier Gilad Shalit around the world.
All over the world, Parliaments have taken up this issue and have made it clear that they will do whatever they can for the release of Gilad Shalit. Today, as we pass the resolution before us, we wish to to the same. I therefore thank all the parliamentary groups for taking up this issue. I would like to thank the spokespersons of the parliamentary groups and all those involved for the great sincerity in the spirit of which we wish to send out a signal from this House together. To all those who are committed to this cause or who follow this debate as a matter of concern, I say this: united, we stand for the freedom of Gilad Shalit and will call for and fight for his release.
As a young soldier, Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization; it is crucial to make this clear as we debate. Considering the distress in which the people of Israel and the Jewish state of Israel find themselves, it is a special form of warfare to present the suffering of Gilad Shalit publicly on video. It is inhuman that the International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access for years and that the parents have to live in distressing insecurity about the well-being of their son. They do not know if he is alive, and if yes, under which conditions. Today, we demand unlimited access of the Red Cross as an act of humanity.
I ask those who are close to Hamas and who follow today's debate, and those who are politically responsible within Hamas and who always observe closely what we discuss in this House, for this act of humanity: help Gilad Shalit and at least grant access to the Red Cross, so his parent be sure he is alive.
The entire Israeli people is waiting for Gilad Shalit to return home. To make also those understand who hear the name of this soldier who was abducted at age nineteen for the first time today: the entire Israeli people is discussing the issue with great attention and emotional concern.
We all cannot really imagine this, since as Germans we do not have to live in such a situation. The circumstances in which young recruits in Germany report for duty in the German military are completely different from those facing young Israelis when they join the IDF. In a courageous battle Gilad Shalit felt an obligation to serve the cause of his country and to ensure the security of his people. He incurred great risk to his person and has paid bitterly for this. That is why the Israeli people has taken up the cause of this soldier with such vigor.
Some may say he is just one soldier. But from the very beginning, this was not just about one soldier, but about a symbolic meaning. If we look at the Israeli's tradition of commemorating dead soldiers, we can understand that the cause of this one soldier is a matter of culture.
This is what the Hamas terrorist organization is using purposefully to spread anxiety and fear within the Israeli society, to demoralize the soldiers and to undermine the resolve of the Israeli society. We will not accept that. Not only today but on many occasions, we, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Bundestag, call and work for the release of Gilad Shalit, for the acceptance of the right to existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish state and for the peace process. This is what our minister of foreign affairs did when he visited Gilad Shalit's father in Israel just a few days ago.
We have discussed these issues in this House many times, and we will do so in the future. All this happens with a view to the special role Germany has through its history and the responsibility that derives from it. In my view at least, we cannot be in a neutral position. We stand firmly on Israel's side. In her remarkable speech on March 18, 2008, the Federal Chancellor said this before the Knesset: „Our sense of historical responsibility and the commitment to our shared values have formed the basis of German-Israeli relations from the outset and until the present day.“ This has not changed since 2008, quite the contrary: our bonds have grown even closer – in particular with a view to the fact that growing doubts about Israel's policies are voiced in other countries.
We are not without criticism and among friends it is possible to discuss matters openly and critically. But let me also say this: expectations of the Israeli society and political community are huge when it comes to German politics. They are likely larger than expectations directed at the United States, for Israel has noticed that it needs to observe developments in America with concern. Against this background, we have to discuss with the greatest earnestness and sincerity here. I for one can say – knowing that I do not speak for all in this House – that Germany is not just a neutral mediator, but that Germany has a part in this conflict – and that is the part of a friend of Israel.
Today's debate is not just about advocating a two-state solution and peaceful co-existence in the Middle East, but about raising our voices for a young man who has defended his country: for Gilad Shalit, whose release we demand today.
Thank you!
philipp-missfelder.de
