Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg currently advises against a complete ceasefire in the Gaza war, criticizes UN chief Guterres, advocates gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU and would be willing to meet with Russia’s chief diplomat , Sergei Lavrov.
The international call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is becoming stronger. Do you still fully understand the actions of the Israeli army?
Alexander Schallenberg: The EU consciously calls for the creation of humanitarian corridors and ceasefires for humanitarian purposes. Because Hamas still fires rockets at Israel every day. Of course, the goal is to reach a ceasefire at some point. But that’s a matter of when.
When should there be a ceasefire? Once Israel achieves its military objectives?
Sometimes I have the impression that the more than 200 hostages have already been forgotten. The first objective is your unconditional liberation. The second objective is to prevent a conflagration and war from spreading to the West Bank. And I will say it clearly: the acts of violence committed by radical settlers are absolutely unacceptable. The third objective is to alleviate the suffering of the population of the Gaza Strip. There must also be a ceasefire for this. But a complete ceasefire would only give Hamas the opportunity to regroup and then strike with greater force.
The risk of a regional conflagration appears to have been contained for now.
The US did this very well with its military presence. The Iranians apparently do not want to get fully involved in the war because they are afraid of the backlash. Hamas will be the only one left. I don’t feel sorry for them. His terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 was a cruel bloodlust reminiscent of medieval pogroms or IS massacres. I saw images that will never leave me.
The number of civilian casualties in Gaza is apparently very high. Is the Israeli army acting in accordance with international humanitarian law?