Scholz warns Netanyahu against escalation

FRANKFURT:- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a telephone call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed the state of the region, a spokesperson for the German government said.

“The Chancellor emphasized that it was essential to avoid a regional escalation,” the spokesperson said.

He also hoped the U.S. Senate would quickly approve funding for Ukraine aid after the House of Representatives on Saturday passed a legislative package providing security assistance.

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opened the annual Hanover industrial trade fair on Sunday night (April 21) which this year is hosted by Norway.

During an almost two-hour long opening ceremony also attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Scholz thanked Norway for being a reliable energy supplier after Russia cut its deliveries to Germany.

Russia halted gas supplies via Europe’s key supply route in August 2022 in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed after it invaded Ukraine.

European governments accused Russia of using energy supplies as a “weapon of war” which Moscow denied citing technical reasons for supply cuts.

In his remarks, a chuckling Scholz told von der Leyen in front of a gathering of industry leaders and foreign diplomats that the European Union’s goal to cut 25% of its bureaucracy was “good,” adding to laughter “because most bureaucratic rules originate in Brussels!”