NEW: Ireland's foreign minister Micheál Martin says EU foreign ministers have for the first time discussed the prospect of sanctions against Israel if it does not comply with an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

More than 2,500 people have signed a petition calling for the release of GIZ employee Baraa Odeh, who's been imprisoned by Israel without trial for almost three months now.

There's also a protest organised tomorrow evening in front of GIZ's office in Berlin.

I wrote about how Germany's hard-line support for Israel's war in Gaza has severely damaged its image in Arab countries, where until recently it enjoyed a very favourable reputation. And what effects this is having on its soft power in the region.

foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/24/ger…

'Video posted by local journalists showed charred bodies being pulled from the flaming wreckage... the makeshift camp was within Block 2371, an area that was designated a humanitarian safe zone by Israeli officials on May 22.' washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/…

Wrote about the police violence used against student anti-war protests in Germany, and new legislation that unions say could muzzle campus politics in Berlin.

aljazeera.com/features/2024/…

Excellent piece revisiting how Germany's one-sided policies destroyed most of its credibility in the Middle East (and far beyond).
I would disagree in one point: I think it's absolutely not unlikely 'to affect Germany’s political or economic relations with Arab states.'

Turkish man who just illegally crossed the US border immediately becomes border hawk, says he's worried about who's coming in and warns of the possibility of 'killers and psychopaths' entering the country. Basically, the American dream in 30 seconds.

Solidarity with journalist Ignacio Rosaslanda who was attacked by Berlin police while filming the eviction of a student occupation on Thurs.

Police have been physically aggressive towards press for months at Palestine demos and it needs to be called out by politicians and unions.

'How Germany lost the Middle East'

From an honest broker without a colonial footprint in the region, Germany has suffered the most of all countries reputationally in the region since 7 Oct - more so than Israel and the US
foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/24/ger…

One of the many ironies of German-Israeli relations is that Germany initially supported Israel to rehabilitate itself. Now, the opposite is happening. Recommended read: