dpa
Berlin/Beirut
German Development Minister Svenja Schulze arrived in Lebanon on Monday in an expression of support for the millions of refugees and displaced persons in the country, which has been severely affected by the war between Israel and Hezbollah, eve nas the death toll since the outbreak of the armed conflict between the Israeli military and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah has exceeded 3,000 victims for the first time.
In mid-October, the German parliament, or Bundestag, provided Schulze’s ministry with an additional 60 million euros ($65.4mn) to be spent on health care, food and clean drinking water for the many people in need. This new aid was the reason for the minister’s visit to Beirut, which was scheduled to last only eight hours for security reasons. Schulze visited a communal kitchen and an emergency shelter for refugees.
"It is in the interest of Lebanon to stabilize the situation here, but it is also in Germany’s interest,” said Schulze after talks with Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut.
"If the Middle East and Lebanon in particular become even more destabilized, we will definitely notice it in Germany too.” Schulze called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, but defended Germany’s arms exports to Israel, which it recently expanded again despite criticism.
"We support Israel, that is part of our reason of state, Israel must be able to defend itself,” Schulze said, using a phrase that alludes to Berlin’s historical responsibility to the state of Israel following the Holocaust. "The country is currently under massive attack, including here from Hezbollah,” she added.
She said she also wanted to use the trip to counter the increasing hostility towards Germany in the Arab world due to its support for Israel.
On Sunday, 16 people were killed and 90 others injured, the Ministry of Health reported. The authorities usually only announce new casualty figures on the evening of the following day.
The figures show at least 3,002 people have been killed and 13,492 injured since the outbreak of fighting over a year ago. Among the fatalities are 589 women and at least 185 minors.Around 1.2 million of Lebanon’s 6 million inhabitants have been displaced from their towns and villages as a result of the fighting.