At Berlin summit, Biden, allies expected to renew call to end war after Sinwar killed

BERLIN, Germany — US President Joe Biden was set to meet European leaders during his farewell visit to Germany on Friday, where they were expected to renew calls for a Gaza ceasefire after Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

While still on Air Force One, Biden hailed the death of the mastermind of the devastating October 7, 2023, onslaught that opened the ongoing war as a “good day,” saying it removed a key obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

The president’s meetings in Berlin were expected to address the conflict pitting Israel against Hamas and its Hezbollah allies, including the risk of a wider escalation with Iran.

Biden was to hold talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Sinwar’s death is widely seen as a pivotal moment in the war that began when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and during which terrorists abducted 251 people who were taken as hostages to Gaza. Israel’s military response has focused on destroying Hamas and saving the hostages.

Biden said Thursday he would “congratulate” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also “discuss the pathway” for securing the release of hostages and “ending this war once and for all.”

“There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said.

Netanyahu and Biden agreed during a call Thursday night that there was now an opportunity to move toward a hostage deal, and that they would work together to achieve one, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Scholz, speaking in Brussels, said “There is a proposal from President Biden and others as to what such a ceasefire could look like and we fully support that.”

Talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar have previously centered on the release of hostages in exchange for Israel ending the war and also releasing hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.

Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in an exchange of fire with IDF forces in Gaza’s Rafah, apparently after emerging from a hiding place in the Strip’s underground tunnels. The military did not specifically target him and did not know it had killed him until approaching the body after the firefight. Israel definitively identified him on Thursday evening.

Sinwar was widely seen as a major obstacle to a ceasefire deal, unwilling to compromise on stiff demands unacceptable to Israel that contributed to negotiations repeatedly hitting brick walls over the past year.

Starmer and Macron were among many world leaders who welcomed news of Sinwar’s death.

The British prime minister called for the release of all hostages in Gaza and said his country “will not mourn” Sinwar.

Macron said his death offered a crucial “opportunity” to end the yearlong war with Palestinian terrorists in Gaza.

“We must seize this opportunity to secure the release of all hostages and for an end to finally be brought to the war,” Macron told reporters following EU summit talks in Brussels. “We must put an end to military operations.”

According to multiple reports in Hebrew media outlets Thursday, Israeli officials hope the blow to Hamas morale and disorientation caused by Sinwar’s demise could encourage his successors to reach a deal to ensure their survival or push operatives holding hostages to hand them in.

Macron tells Israel to end Lebanon fighting

At the EU summit, Macron urged Israel to halt military operations in Lebanon, respect its sovereignty, and avoid expanding the conflict.

Israel is in Lebanon battling against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group that began attacking along the northern border the day after the Hamas assault. Hezbollah says it is supporting Gaza but after 11 months the fighting spiked into open conflict with Israel launching a ground operation in Lebanon amid Hezbollah barrages throughout northern Israel.

Macron added that France stands alongside Israel for its security and existence, but this does not prevent disagreements with Netanyahu, referring to a bitter public spat between the two leaders over Lebanon that began when Macron called for an international weapons embargo on Israel.

Macron on Thursday sought to lower the flames, claiming reports on some of his remarks on Israel were untrue.

He also said the roots of destabilization in the region are the actions taken by Iran and its proxies over many years. Regarding Hezbollah, Macron said Iran made a “cynical choice” to expose the Lebanese to warfare while preserving itself.

Arms for Israel’s security

The French leader’s call for an embargo infuriated Israel, but the US last week also warned that military aid could be curtailed if Israel does not improve humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip amid crises there caused by the war.

Earlier this year, Starmer’s government paused dozens of weapons’ licenses to Israel, citing concerns about how the items are being used in the Gaza Strip.

Scholz, however, vowed Thursday that Germany will continue to help Israel defend itself by supplying weapons, though adding that Israel must abide by international law and that a two-state solution was the ultimate goal.

“For me, however, it is clear that supporting Israel also means that we are constantly ensuring Israel’s defense capability, for example by supplying military goods or weapons,” said Scholz on the sidelines of the EU leaders’ summit.

Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth around 31 million euros ($34 million) in the past eight weeks, more than twice as much as in the first seven and a half months of this year, DPA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the economy ministry.

The sharp drop in export permits earlier this year has prompted opposition accusations that Berlin deliberately delayed the exports.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock last month said that Germany had not approved any arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza after October 7, 2023, citing concerns about possible violations of international humanitarian law.

On Wednesday, Baerbock said Berlin was waiting for a letter from the Israeli government assuring that international humanitarian law would be observed when using military materiel supplied by Germany.

Alexander Schwarz, a lawyer at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, which has filed five lawsuits against Berlin, said the letter could not exempt Germany from potential legal violations, citing the country’s War Weapons Control Act standards.

“Germany has absolutely no means of controlling which combat operations take place… As far as we know, no promises have been made,” Schwarz said, adding that the Center will soon sue the government again over these approvals.

Sevim Dagdelen, the foreign policy spokesperson for the left-wing BSW party, said Germany’s renewed arms exports to Israel make it directly responsible for potential international law violations in Gaza.

“As the federal government always claims to have no knowledge of whether German weapons are being used in Gaza… the statement from Tel Aviv is not worth the paper it is written on,” Dagdelen said.

Ukraine on the Berlin agenda

Biden arrived late Thursday for a 24-hour flying visit to Berlin just weeks ahead of a US election in which allies are nervously eyeing a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Trump, who during his last term berated NATO allies, has also opposed the level of US military support for Ukraine and would be expected to soften US criticism of Israel in its wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Biden and the German, British, and French leaders were also set to pledge their sustained military support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia’s invasion.