INTERVIEW - Trump’s Gaza plan a ‘major war crime’: German chancellor’s aide

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) – US President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza would be a war crime, according to Nils Schmid, one of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s closest aides.

“We reject this possibility. This would constitute a major war crime,” Schmid, a senior German lawmaker, told Anadolu. “Instead of that we should aim at establishing a two-state solution through negotiations.”

Schmid said the German Social Democrats (SPD) have always supported Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, but they also expect the Israeli government to respect human rights and international law.

“The Palestinian people have a right to self-determination and a right to live in dignity in their own state,” he said, stressing that there is no military solution to the Gaza conflict and diplomatic efforts must be revived.

- New challenges under Trump’s presidency

Ahead of Germany’s Feb. 23 elections, recent polls put the SPD at 16%, well behind the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) at 29%.

As the CDU/CSU bloc is unlikely to secure a parliamentary majority, analysts expect them to pursue a coalition government with the SPD to establish a stable administration.

Schmid, who is the foreign affairs spokesman of the SPD parliamentary group, emphasized that managing relations with the US under President Donald Trump would be a crucial challenge for any future coalition government.

“We, Social Democrats, and we, Europeans, need to defend the international rules-based order and international law, and we hope that our American friends, who helped to bring about this order will contribute to defend it as well,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Trump sees himself as a great dealmaker, so he does not really want to apply rules, but to make deals. This changes the nature of American diplomacy and we need to come back to these rules. Because only some big powers, great powers can live without rules, but most nations need these rules and we are going to defend them,” Schmid added.

- Germany hopes to find common ground

Trump’s controversial foreign policy initiatives during his first month in office raised serious concerns across European capitals and cast doubt on the future of transatlantic relations.

The US president has insisted on gaining control of Greenland, a Danish territory rich in minerals and strategically located in the Arctic; announced plans to impose trade tariffs on European goods to address the trade deficit with the EU; and demanded that European allies increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.

His decisions to withdraw the US from several UN organizations and halt funding for international programs has also raised concerns.

Schmid said Germany hopes to find common ground with the Trump administration by focusing on shared interests, noting that both sides recognize the importance of the transatlantic partnership.

“I think on both sides of the Atlantic, there’s heightened interest to increase growth, to have more employment, and to invest into modern technology. And I think a common growth agenda should be the focus of our common interest,” he said.