Europe

United Nations member states on Monday confirmed the nomination of Germany’s former foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, as the next president of the General Assembly.

Her nomination was controversial from the outset, as she was accused of snatching the job away from seasoned German diplomat Helga Schmid, who played a key role in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Germany had initially nominated Schmid for the job, but later replaced her with Baerbock, who lost her cabinet position after the February election.

A look at her performance as foreign minister, however, does not reveal a track record of upholding human rights, but rather an utter failure on this front, amid German state complicity in the Gaza genocide.

Her speech last October stands as a case in point. “Self-defence means not only attacking terrorists but destroying them. When Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools … civilian places lose their protected status because terrorists abuse it,” Baerbock said during a parliamentary session marking the anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.