After the unexpected assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, Germany and France are taking precautionary measures to safeguard Jewish temples, schools, and heritage sites, by beefing up security.
In the aftermath of the incident, Germany has bolstered police protection for Jewish and Israeli institutions, while some demonstrators in Berlin celebrated in support of the Palestinians.
Jewish temples and schools in cities throughout France have become the focal point of increased security measures, driven by concerns expressed by a prominent Jewish leader about the conflict’s potential impact.
‘In Berlin, police protection has been immediately stepped up,’ Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told Bild newspaper. ‘The federal government and the regions are closely coordinating their actions.’
Germany’s authorities were also closely watching ‘potential supporters of Hamas in the Islamist sphere’, she added.
Berlin police posted photos on social media showing ‘people celebrating the attacks on Israel by passing out pastries’ on Sonnenallee, the main avenue in the city’s Neukoelln district.
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It has been reported that the police, in some instances, conducted identity verifications and filed formal complaints.
The German arm of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network shared visuals of pastry giveaways on Berlin’s streets, along with a message commemorating the resistance displayed by the Palestinian community.
Martin Hikel, mayor of the Neukoelln district, voiced his disapproval of what he called “a horrible glorification of a terrible war” during an interview with Welt television.
He called on the government to ban ‘the disgusting terrorist propaganda of Samidoun’.
Later in the evening on Saturday, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a powerful emblem of Germany’s reunification, was aglow in the colors of the Israeli flag.
‘In solidarity with Israel,’ wrote Chancellor Olaf Scholz on X, formerly Twitter. Israel’s ambassador replied on the same platform, thanking him for ‘this beautiful symbol’.