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Lower thirds:
00:02 Report by Bernd Riegert
01:20 Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor
02:09 Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor
03:00 Johann Wadephul, Foreign Minister

Script:
((Video: propalästinensische Solidaritäts-Demonstration  Menschenmenge bei Kundgebung  Frankfurt (Main))
Almost every weekend, somewhere in Germany, demonstrations are held in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Many are in solidarity with the people in Gaza and calling for recognition of a Palestinian state.
((Video: Pro Hostage/Israel demonstration NEWSENG250811_MaterialAntisemitismus_01ICW_002))
Others call for the release of hostages held by Hamas, and support Israel's right to defend itself.
(Video: propalästinensische Solidaritäts-Demonstration, Police cars  Menschenmenge bei Kundgebung  Frankfurt (Main))
Police say in the capital alone nearly seven hundred protests have taken place in the last two years. The number of pro-Palestinian rallies is much higher than the number of pro-Israeli ones, according to police figures quoted in German media.  
((Video: Grafik Deutschlandtrend NEWSENG250923_GFXeTrendGaza_01ISW))
Sixty-six percent of Germans now say more pressure should be exerted on the Israeli government to change its approach to Gaza.  
((Video: Minister Dobrindt showing a chart, Pictures of anti-Semitic graffiti, broken glass, Police car at Synagoge /Antisemitic attacks rise sharply in Germany amid Gaza war/ Deutschland   Debatte zur Sicherheitslage der Juden in Deutschland   Maßnahmen nach Anschlag in Washington   Jüdisches Museum   Synagoge Berlin))
As Israel's war against Hamas went on, the number of anti-semitic incidents and crimes has risen sharply. In 2024, it rose by 21 percent, and is n  ow at an all-time high, according to the home affairs ministry . Jewish community leaders say Jews in Germany are falsely equated with Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  
((Video: Friedrich Merz zu Gast beim Festakt 75 Jahre Zentralrat der Juden, Berlin))
At the reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said:
+++Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor: MCR-C18-Zentral der Juden Schnittbilder BPH Team   00:45:20 – 00:45:49+++
"Antisemitism has never disappeared from Germany, but since Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, it has become louder, more open, more brazen, and more violent almost every day. I want to tell you how appalled we all are by this and how ashamed it makes us feel." 
+++"Antisemitismus war nie weg aus Deutschland, aber seit dem barbarischen Angriff der Hamas auf Israel am 7. Oktober 2023 wird er fast jeden Tag wieder lauter, offener, unverschämter, gewaltsamer. Ich möchte Ihnen sagen, wie sehr uns alle dies entsetzt und wie sehr uns das beschämt."+++
((Video: Merz und Jewish hosts at Zentralrat der Juden s.o.))
Alongside his feelings of shame, the chancellor also seems to have been affected by images of the destruction coming out of Gaza. 

((Video: Gaza, devastation, Israeli army/ Reuters: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS UN-REPORT))
In August, Merz suspended the delivery of weapons that can be used directly in the war against Hamas. 
((Video: Merz kommt ins Studio, setzt sich, Regie Tagesschau F  25336))He was criticized for this move by his own conservative party and justified himself in a television interview.
+++Friedrich Merz, Chancellor  fesad_300392548_0_Wiedemann_ReutersInternationalHLPTagescont.mp4+++
“Solidarity with Israel does not mean that we consider every decision a government makes to be good and that we also provide it with support, including military support in the form of weapons.”
+++"Solidarität mit Israel bedeutet nicht, dass wir jede Entscheidung, die eine Regierung trifft, für gut halten und ihr dabei auch noch Unterstützung zukommen lassen, bis hin zu militärischer Unterstützung durch Waffen."+++
((Video: German, Israeli flags, Merz receiving Israel President Herzog in June fesad_300392547_0_Wiedemann_ReutersInternationalHLPTagescont))
The German government maintains a special relationship with the Jewish state. After the Holocaust, German politicians consider responsibility for Israel's existence and security a fundamental principle for their country.
+++Friedrich Merz, Bundeskanzler: fesad_300392548_0_Wiedemann_ReutersInternationalHLPTagescont.mp4    02:02-02:09+++
"The principles of German policy toward Israel remain unchanged; nothing has changed and nothing will change."
+++"Die Grundsätze der deutschen Israelpolitik sind unverändert, daran hat sich nichts verändert und daran wird sich nichts ändern."+++
((Video: EU's von der Leyen in Parliament, Palestinian flag at French Marie, Wadephul Schnittbilder AFPTV_20250922_VIDI76C9263_EN_1ST-IMAGES-FRANCE-PALESTINE-DIPLOMACY-POLI-V1, EU chief to push for sanctions on Israel ministers, curb trade ties over Gaza)) 
Germany has rejected joint sanctions by the European Union against Israel. France and many other EU countries have recognized Palestine as a state. But Germany maintains it is too early for that. They say a two-state solution remains the goal.
+++Johann Wadephul, Foreign Minister (Englisch) NEWSENG250923_QWadephulINT_01ICW     02:16 - 02:56+++
"It's more a question of time, of course, because we are engaged in building a Palestinian state, but that needs some time, and that needs especially negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. (So, but… in the goal, we are all united to have a two-state solution.) I don't see any European country who has a different goal. So, more or less we are united. Only the question when to recognize the state is dividing us. And that is not really a big problem."
(Video: Israel's PM Netanjahu, Gaza-Strip people fleeing, Reuters: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS UN-REPORT, German/Israel flags fesad_300392547_0_Wiedemann_ReutersInternationalHLPTagescont))
But with the Israeli government categorically rejecting a two-state solution, Germany will eventually have to ask itself whether THIS is a problem it can overcome.
END