Bundestag President Klöckner visits Gaza and criticizes Israeli death penalty bill

German Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has visited Israel and the Gaza Strip for the first time in her capacity as speaker of the German parliament.

According to a report by the German news agency dpa, Klöckner entered the Israeli-controlled zone of Gaza, although the journalists accompanying her were not permitted to enter the Strip.

The visit, during which Israeli soldiers escorted the German politician to the border of the Israeli-controlled zone, marks the first time a high-ranking German official has traveled to the Gaza Strip since 2010.

Klöckner is also the first high-level EU official to enter Gaza since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023.

During a press conference in Jerusalem, Klöckner criticized a bill currently before the Knesset that would allow Israeli civil courts to impose the death penalty on “convicted terrorists,” in addition to “Nazi war criminals and traitors.”

According to the Handelsblatt newspaper, Klöckner told reporters at the press conference: “The state’s achievement in abolishing capital punishment must not be jeopardized. The death penalty is incompatible with the protection of human dignity. A state should not seek revenge.”

The bill passed its first reading in the Israeli parliament on November 10; it requires two more readings to become law.

Reiterating her support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue, Klöckner stated, “I believe we must also remain committed to the goal of peaceful coexistence.”

The CDU politician also advocated for lifting restrictions on the entry of supplies into Gaza, arguing that humanitarian aid is “not a political concession, but a moral obligation.”

In an interview with dpa prior to her visit, Klöckner said, “Israel has the right to exist and the right to defend itself,” adding that the State of Israel is “a state based on the rule of law, a democracy, and a crucial anchor for Germany in the Middle East.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hosted Klöckner at his office, describing her as a “true friend” of Israel.

Sa’ar thanked Klöckner—who represents Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU party—for her “support for Israel and deep commitment to the memory of the Holocaust,” continuing:

“During the meeting, we also discussed the situation in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. I made it clear that the Palestinian Authority is the party violating agreements, ranging from counter-terrorism and incitement to damaging the environment and archaeological sites.”

Sa’ar wrote that the friendship between Israel and Germany is “important and strategic.”

Klöckner, who is in Israel as the guest of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, also addressed the Holocaust after visiting the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem.

“There is no other country comparable to the one that extended a hand to us after the Holocaust,” the German politician said, according to Handelsblatt, arguing that it is “a blessing that trust could grow from this deep guilt of Nazi Germany.”

While Germany is considered one of Israel’s closest allies within the European Union, other member states such as Spain, Belgium, and Ireland have accused Israel of genocide and implemented sanctions.