German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Israel on May 26 of causing “suffering to the civilian population” in a way that “can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism.” He added, “The Israeli government must not do anything that even its best friends are no longer prepared to accept.” He was speaking at the wdr Europaforum in Berlin.

The “best friends” comment refers to Israel’s strongest supporters in terms of military aid, primarily the United States and Germany. Both nations have recently criticized the Jewish state. This is unusual, especially for Germany. As Merz noted, Germany has to be “more reserved than any other country in the world” in its public criticism of Israel. But he claimed the alleged international humanitarian law violations demand criticism. “The question is: How clearly does one criticize now, and for historical reasons, I am more cautious,” Merz said.

Israel’s ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prosor, wrote on X on May 27:

The words of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz carry weight. As he is a friend of Israel, we take his words seriously—unlike those who constantly criticize Israel one-sidedly.

But it is also clear that Israel cannot accept a second Hamas terror state after October 7.

There is a dilemma here: We are supposed to rescue the hostages, provide for the population in Gaza, and fight the terrorists at the same time. In Gaza, schools have been turned into weapons depots, mosques into barracks and hospitals into command centers.

There are no simple solutions to complex problems. Anyone who criticizes Israel must take note of this reality.

There is no doubt Germany knows its demands are unachievable from Israel’s point of view. For example, allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza means emboldening Hamas, the entity Israel seeks to eliminate. Germany’s Bild explained:

The background to the criticism: Israel wants to take the distribution of food and other humanitarian goods into its own hands and no longer leave it to the United Nations.

The accusation is that Hamas is hijacking their supplies and enriching itself at the expense of the civilian population. Doctors Without Borders reports from Gaza of horrendous prices of up to $50 for a kilo of rice.

A private agency set up by the Israeli government is due to start work today and distribute aid in Gaza. Hamas is already warning its population not to accept this aid and is threatening “measures.” On Monday, it executed four men it accused of looting an aid truck.

While international media insist that UN humanitarian aid reaches Gaza’s civilians, the reality is very different: Hamas seizes the shipments, resells them to enrich its leadership, and kills civilians who attempt to claim aid directly from the UN. Yet when Israel seeks to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who truly need it, it is accused of starving the people in Gaza. Adding to the absurdity, Israel continues to call many of these accusers “friends.”

The German government claims that Israel’s current actions are jeopardizing the prospect of a Palestinian state. But as Prosor told Germany’s zdf on Tuesday: “We are dealing with an opponent who does not want land or power. He wants to wipe us out. We find ourselves in a vicious circle: We want to free the hostages, deliver aid, and actually fight the terrorists. It’s not easy.”

Prosor is right: Israel is dealing with “an opponent who does not want land or power. He wants to wipe us out.” If Israel is prevented from dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip, accepting a two-state solution means having a terrorist entity as a permanent neighbor in Gaza—with the added risk of that problem expanding to the West Bank.

Given that German officials know this, the push toward a two-state solution favors the terrorist-supporting Palestinian Arabs more than the Jews.

The question is why?

Hamas has repeatedly shown that wiping Israel out is more or less its official goal. It is supported by Iran, the chief sponsor of terrorism. But what Prosor and others don’t realize is that these terrorists are not the only ones who want to wipe out Israel. The Bible shows that the Palestinian Arabs will ally with other nations, all aided by Germany. Psalm 83 reveals that they will seek to cut Israel “off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (verse 4).

In light of this prophecy, Germany’s ambitions appear in a new light—or an old light consistent with Germany’s history of persecuting Jews.

Prophecy further shows that Israel’s terrorist neighbors will grow in power. “Today the Arabs live in roughly one half of Jerusalem. They just don’t control it—yet,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes in Zechariah—The Sign of Christ’s Imminent Return. He continues: “God gave all Jerusalem to the Jews, and because of their sins He is going to give their country over to the enemy.”

Backed by Iran and the international community, the Palestinians are gaining momentum to violently seize half of Jerusalem as prophesied in Zechariah 14:1-2. But as Mr. Flurry explains in Chapter 8 (“Jerusalem Violence Triggers Christ’s Return!”) of his free booklet, this is a certain sign of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The bloody path toward Christ’s return could be averted if the Jewish people and our world would heed God’s warning message today.