German parliament speaker's Gaza visit draws sharp criticism

BERLIN

Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner's visit to Gaza under Israeli military escort has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers who called it a one-sided tour that excluded Palestinian perspectives.

The conservative politician traveled on Thursday with the Israeli army into what is known as the "Yellow Line" – an area occupied by Israeli forces for months that international observers fear could become permanent.

Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesman for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), criticized the visit in remarks to public broadcaster ARD, saying it sent the wrong message just days after Israel announced plans for de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank.

"This must not be legitimized,” the lawmaker said. “And such a visit to the Gaza Strip with the Israeli army does not help to clarify or criticize these plans, but may even give them further support.”

Ahmetovic noted that Kloeckner's itinerary included no meetings with high-ranking Palestinian representatives. “No visit to the West Bank, no visit to East Jerusalem, and during her planned visit to Gaza, she didn't listen to a single voice,” he said. “That's something that's difficult to explain.”

Franziska Brantner, co-leader of the oppostion Greens party, echoed the criticism in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine.

"It is good that Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner wants to see Gaza for herself,” she said.

“But if she does so without even listening to the Palestinian side, she must accept the criticism that she only wants to perceive reality in this region from one perspective," she said.

Kloeckner's Israel trip began on Tuesday. She visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Wednesday, followed by a red carpet reception at the Knesset. She dismissed the criticisms, saying she raised the humanitarian situation in Gaza in meetings with Israeli officials and discussed the developments with opposition representatives and nongovernmental organizations.