Most Germans are currently against the continuing Israeli military operation in Gaza, a poll carried out by the Forsa Institute on behalf of the weekly Stern has shown. A total of 61% of respondents said they opposed West Jerusalem’s actions and only a third of them were still in favor of it, the survey conducted last week found. Public opinion has apparently shifted to its polar opposite in about half a year, Stern reports.
A military conflict between Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas military group has entered its seventh month. It broke out last October when Hamas launched a surprise attack at Israeli territories bordering the enclave. The assault claimed the lives of some 1,200 Israelis and more than 200 were taken hostage by the militants.
West Jerusalem responded with a massive bombing campaign against Gaza, followed by a large-scale ground operation. According to Gaza health authorities, Israel’s actions have claimed the lives of more than 36,000 in the strip of territory.
Last November, less than a month after the start of the conflict, most Germans were supportive of west Jerusalem, Stern also reported, citing results from another Forsa survey. At that time, 62% of respondents were in favor of the Israeli military operation and 31% against it, it said.
The change has affected a broad political spectrum within Germany as supporters of almost all major political forces in the country, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, his coalition partners the Greens, and the biggest opposition force, the center-right Union, were now all opposing the continued military action. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party backers were mostly against it as well.
The poll was conducted on May 30 and 31 and involved a total of 1,003 respondents across Germany.
Berlin has been one of the staunchest supporters of West Jerusalem over the past months. After the Second World War, the nation took a vow to ensure Israel’s security as part of its own national interest as one of the ways to atone for the Holocaust.
In May, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, filed applications for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Berlin said it would “abide by the law” and follow on the court decision. The warrants were requested against the Israeli ministers as well as three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
West Jerusalem responded by branding the proposed warrants as anti-Semitic and calling for “civilized nations” to boycott any arrest orders against its leaders. Israeli ambassador to Berlin Ron Prosor also specifically appealed to Berlin, arguing that it had a responsibility to “readjust this compass.” The German government declined to comment on those demands.