BREAKING: Germany Slams Smotrich Over West Bank Eviction Threat As Tensions Rise In Occupied Territories

Please Kindly Pay Attention: If you’re reading on PHOENIX, please click the “Read Original” button at the top right to view the full article.

According to the Anadolu Agency, Germany has issued a firm rebuke to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after his remarks suggesting support for the eviction of the Palestinian community of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank. The comments have triggered fresh diplomatic tension across Europe.

In Berlin, officials said the statements raised serious concerns about the direction of settlement policy and its impact on an already fragile regional situation.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher delivered Germany’s response in unusually direct terms, making it clear that Berlin rejects any plan involving forced displacement

“We have, of course, taken note of these statements with the utmost concern, and we firmly reject them. We have also spoken out on this issue on several occasions in the past. There must be no expulsions. We call on the Israeli government to abandon these plans,” he told reporters.

His remarks reflect a consistent position from Germany, which has repeatedly warned that unilateral moves in the occupied territories risk worsening instability and undermining long-term peace efforts.

Hinterseher also stressed that broader settlement expansion in the West Bank is already complicating prospects for a negotiated solution. He warned that such actions could have serious legal and political consequences, while further eroding trust between the parties.

“Unilateral measures, as part of a broader intensification of settlement policy, into which the entire situation in the West Bank is embedded, violate international law, pose a risk of further instability in the region and in the West Bank itself, and significantly stand in the way of a two-state solution,” he said.

The controversy comes amid growing international scrutiny following reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been asked to consider secret arrest warrants involving Smotrich and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over alleged war crimes linked to actions in the occupied West Bank.

Smotrich has strongly rejected the allegations, describing the ICC request as “a declaration of war” and accusing critics of trying to impose what he called “security suicide” on Israel through legal and diplomatic pressure.

The developments highlight widening tensions between Israel and several European governments, as concerns grow over settlement activity and its impact on the already volatile West Bank. For many diplomats, the latest exchange signals a deepening divide at a time when international pressure for restraint is steadily increasing.