Germany's support for Israel shows it has failed to learn 'from its horrific history' - Namibian president

The Namibian presidency has attacked Germany's support for Israel's bombardment of Gaza, citing Germany's actions in Namibia between 1904-1908 as "the first genocide of the 20th century… in which tens of thousands of innocent Namibians died in the most inhumane and brutal conditions" and saying that Germany had failed "to draw lessons from its horrific history".

A statement from the presidency posted on X (formerly Twitter), continued: "President @hagegeingob expresses deep concern with the shocking decision communicated by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany yesterday, 12 January 2024, in which it rejected the morally upright indictment brought forward by South Africa before the #InternationalCourtofJustice that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in #Gaza."

The statement from the Namibian presidency refers to the announcement by Germany on 12 January that it would reject South Africa's genocide allegations against Israel and was set to intervene on Israel's behalf at the ICJ.