A new European war is no longer unthinkable, and German society must adapt to this reality, according to Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who has called for increased military spending.
Pistorius insisted on Sunday in an interview with Germany’s ZDF broadcaster that Germans “must again get used to the thought that the danger of a war in Europe could pose a threat.” When discussing Berlin’s defence capabilities, the minister urged his fellow citizens to “become war-capable.”
The official cited the conflict in Ukraine, as well as hostilities between Israel and Hamas, as evidence that fighting could erupt elsewhere.
Pistorius dismissed criticism that the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been too slow in building up the German armed forces, claiming that they are working as quickly as possible to make up for 30 years of neglect and underfunding. The minister promised that in three or four years, the Bundeswehr would be unrecognisable, and claimed that Germany’s military is already among the strongest in NATO and Europe.
In a statement about the Middle East situation, Pistorius stated that the current conflict is about “Israel’s right to self-defense and right to exist,” to which Germany “unconditionally” agrees. According to the minister, Berlin has a “duty to stand on the side of Israel” in order to avoid further escalation.
Fiona Hill, the former US President Donald Trump’s Russia guru, claimed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts “could be global-system-shifting wars, something like World War I and World War II, which reflected and produced major changes in the international order.”
“The Hamas attack on Israel was, in some ways, a Pearl Harbour moment.” “It opened a second front,” she explained.
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the German newspaper Bild last week that his country’s campaign in Gaza is part of “World War III against radical Islam.”
The politician blamed Israel’s arch enemy, Iran, for instigating the conflict.
Tehran has denied any direct involvement in the October 7 Hamas raid, while condemning Israel’s subsequent actions.
