Change of course demanded by EU
Israel’s ambassador: “We will fight back”
April 18, 2024, 3:24 a.m
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International partners are urging the Netanyahu government to show restraint after Iran’s attack. Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Prosor, considers such demands to be unrealistic. The principle of “live and let live” is not widespread in the Middle East.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, has called on the European Union to “change course” in its policy towards Iran. After the major Iranian attack on his country, Europe must “take a clear stance,” the ambassador told the “Rheinische Post”. “For example, by listing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guard spreads terror and violence in the Middle East and beyond,” said Prosor. “It’s Europe’s turn. We have seen that it has not been possible to contain the dangers posed by Iran. We need a change of course.”
On the sidelines of the EU summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he saw a possible approach for classifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The SPD politician explained that there was a verdict on the question of the activities of this organization. This could be a starting point for listing the Revolutionary Guards. A legal review of the issue is currently underway in the EU. In the past, the EU had always emphasized that a terror listing of the Guards was currently not legally possible because it would require a national court decision or a ban order from an administrative authority. Last December, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court made a judgment about an attempted attack on a synagogue in Bochum, to which Scholz has now apparently referred.
The Revolutionary Guards are Iran’s elite armed forces that are intended to protect the state ideology and, above all, prevent a coup. According to Iranian sources, they also carried out the weekend attack on Israel, in which hundreds of rockets and drones were used. Because of the well-functioning anti-aircraft defenses of Israel and its partners, hardly any damage was caused.
Prosor emphasizes the importance of deterrence
Prosor did not say how Israel will respond to Iran’s attack. But he emphasized: “We will strike back so that no one ever comes up with the idea of attacking us again.” The USA and Germany are Israel’s closest friends. The doctrine of live and let live is not particularly widespread in the Middle East. “Our friends have to understand that too. Our neighborhood is not Liechtenstein or Luxembourg. We have to assert ourselves,” said Prosor. “Anyone who attacks Israel will be held accountable. It is important for our security and the region that the deterrence scenario is maintained.”
The EU heads of state and government released a statement overnight expressing their full solidarity with the people of Israel. At the same time, they call on Israel and Iran to exercise extreme restraint so as not to increase tensions in the region.