UN Assembly President Faces Backlash Over Gaza Stance as Germany Arms Role Scrutinised

NEW YORK — New United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock faces mounting criticism for her vocal support of Israeli military actions in Gaza, with watchdogs and academics accusing her of enabling violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) during her tenure as Germany foreign minister.

The Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA), citing AntiWar.com, reported Monday that 300,000 Palestinians were displaced this week to al-Mawasi—a coastal strip Israel designates as a “safe zone” despite repeated bombings—amid intensified strikes on Gaza City.

EUobserver noted Baerbock, Germany top diplomat from 2021 until her cabinet ouster in February 2025, consistently framed Israel operations as “self-defense,” blocked ceasefire calls, and oversaw €485 million in German arms exports to Israel since October 2023.

Nicaragua invoked the Genocide Convention against Germany in March 2024, alleging complicity in Gaza atrocities.

Northwestern University-Qatar philosopher Torsten Menge highlighted Baerbock October 2024 Bundestag claim that civilian sites lose protected status if “terrorists abuse it,” citing unverified assertions about Hamas using schools and hospitals.

“This rhetoric directly abets Israel rewriting of IHL,” Menge told reporters.

The New Arab documented Baerbock shift from “Green feminist” to “Zionist cheerleader,” noting her UN nomination followed a failed re-election bid.

During a November 2023 Deutsche Welle interview, she accused Hamas of “abusing children as human shields” and shooting at fleeing civilians—claims rights groups called baseless.

Germany abstained on two UN Gaza ceasefire votes in 2023 while suspending funding to UNRWA for five months.

Baerbock defended these moves as necessary to “relieve suffering,” despite admitting in May 2024 that German weapons “are being used to kill children in Gaza.