As Foreign Minister, I cannot speak here today without addressing the horrific news that has reached us from Washington. A heinous attack has claimed the lives of two Israeli diplomats: Yaron Lischinsky, who was also a German national, and Sarah Milgrim. I believe I speak for the whole chamber when I say that we are deeply shocked by these events, that our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and with the members of the Israeli Foreign Service, and that we once again wish to make it unequivocally clear: There can be no justification for antisemitic violence. Hatred and terrorism have no place in our society.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, no matter what yardstick you take, armed conflicts always last too long. For those directly affected by war, they are life-shattering catastrophes.

UNIFIL, the mission we are discussing today, which is intended to stabilise and de-escalate one of these protracted conflicts, has been in place since 1978. Nevertheless, the region still craves for peace and does not emanate stability. This past autumn, the conflict specific to UNIFIL’s mandate also reignited. After a year of sustained fire on villages and communities in northern Israel by the Lebanese Hezbollah, Israel launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah succeeded in drawing the entire country of Lebanon into its war with Israel. Thousands of people were killed, nearly one million internally displaced and large parts of the region were destroyed. UNIFIL’s peacekeeping mission also found itself under fire.

In light of this situation, few here would have believed six months ago that we would encounter the circumstances we see in Lebanon today. The ceasefire agreed on 27 November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah following negotiations supported by the United States and France has largely held. And after years of political deadlock, Lebanon has elected a new president and appointed a government. People are returning to their homes. There is hope that Lebanon can move past the economic crisis it has grappled with for years.

A year ago, I stated in this chamber that even broad approval by the Bundestag of the mandate's extension should not absolve the then Federal Government of its responsibility to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the Middle East. Needless to say, I still stand by this opinion in my capacity as Foreign Minister. Extending a mandate is one thing. However, we must continuously assess whether the missions to which we deploy our troops are equipped with the necessary resources and capabilities to effectively fulfil their tasks under the specific conditions on the ground.

That was also a subject of last week's peacekeeping conference, hosted by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Defence, which was attended by over 130 delegations from around the world. On that occasion, we addressed opportunities as well as limitations. Allow me to underline, esteemed colleagues, how vital the United Nations’ engagement is. If the blue helmets did not exist, we would have to invent them today. If the United Nations did not exist, we would have to establish it today. There is no alternative to this – the greatest peace movement in the world.

Esteemed colleagues, the situation in Lebanon has fundamentally changed since this mandate was last extended. That is why you are perfectly entitled to ask: Why is the Federal Government seeking approval for a mandate that remains largely unchanged? Quite simply, because the work of the UNIFIL blue helmets is probably even more important now than it was before. Only a further strengthening of the Lebanese Armed Forces – and this is affirmed by all my interlocutors in neighbouring countries and by colleagues across the Arab world – will enable them to assume full responsibility for security throughout Lebanon, including the South. And this, dear colleagues, has to be the aim of German and European policy.

This includes strengthening the Lebanese Navy – and that is the central task entrusted to Germany’s troops serving in UNIFIL. Since the ceasefire took effect at the end of November, significant progress has been made. The Lebanese Army has to date taken over 190 former Hezbollah positions. With UNIFIL’s assistance, the Lebanese government has cleared out more than 100 Hezbollah weapons caches. Hezbollah and its Iranian backers have been significantly weakened. Our Israeli and Lebanese partners alike therefore ask us to consolidate these gains through the continued deployment of our troops. I would like to sincerely appeal to you, esteemed colleagues, to join the Federal Government in complying with this request.

Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all Bundeswehr soldiers deployed for their years of demanding and dangerous service. It should not be taken for granted.

Let me also take this opportunity to make it clear that the presence of blue helmets is only part of the solution. Diplomacy is needed, and so too are efforts to foster mutual understanding.

This also applies to the Gaza conflict, which continues to weigh heavily on us and has by now led to an unbearable humanitarian situation for the people in the Gaza Strip. That is what my Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, and I talk about on the phone nearly every day. I can only repeat here what I tell him during our calls: Germany expects an immediate and lasting improvement in the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians.

We expect that the military actions against Hamas – actions that are justified – will not further aggravate the situation of the hostages still in captivity, among them German nationals. In Israel, I spoke with relatives of the hostages. They are counting on us, and they can rely on Germany.

My appeal to all parties is this: Seek dialogue. Seek a ceasefire, and bring an end to these hostilities, which are claiming so many lives. It is simply unbearable.