Germany’s security services have been put on high alert in response to the tense situation in the Middle East, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has announced.
“We are closely monitoring how any further escalation will affect the security situation in Germany,” Faeser said in an interview with the Rheinische Post on Thursday.
The interior minister said there was a high risk of further escalation in the Middle East, which she described as “extremely dangerous.” However, she added that the German government, together with its international partners, was working hard to de-escalate the situation.
“Since the Gaza war, the number of anti-Semitic crimes has increased dramatically,” Faeser said. “Our security authorities are doing their utmost to stop the spiral of violence in the Middle East from leading to even more repugnant anti-Semitism,” he added.
Faeser pointed out that the authorities are taking strong action against Islamists, referring to the banning of the Islamic Center in Hamburg and its branches across the country at the end of July. She also mentioned the earlier bans on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the pro-Palestinian Samidoun network in Germany.
In the interview, Faeser expressed her “sincere gratitude” to the provincial governments for their continued efforts to protect Jewish and Israeli institutions.