Israel has ‘right to defend itself’ but must respect ‘proportionality’: Berlin

Germany on Tuesday insisted on Israel’s right to self-defense amid its biggest military operation in years in the occupied West Bank, but urged it to observe “proportionality.”

The German foreign ministry said it was watching the latest flare-up of violence in the region with “great concern” but stressed “Israel like every state has the right to defend itself against terror.”

However, a ministry spokesman said in a statement that “the principle under international law of proportionality must be respected” in the Jenin camp where Israeli forces killed 10 people in a “counterterrorism” operation on Monday.