German Foreign Office criticizes human rights commissioner

The German Foreign Office has issued a sharp criticism of Lars Castellucci, the federal government's human rights commissioner, following his social media comments regarding the Israeli government. Castellucci, a member of the SPD, described the Israeli government as “right-wing extremist” in a post on X.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office stated that Castellucci's remarks generalized the situation in Israel and could be “misunderstood as a relativization of antisemitism,” calling the situation “extremely regrettable.” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also characterized the positioning as “inappropriate and also wrong.”

The controversy began after Castellucci responded to a post by Federal Minister of Education Karin Prien. Prien had questioned the lack of global attention regarding a violent altercation on a Flydubai flight involving predominantly Israeli passengers. In his response, Castellucci stated that Israel is losing its last friends due to its “right-wing extremist government and all those who defend it.” He further noted that the German government has requested Israel to adhere to international law and allow humanitarian aid access, but perceived a lack of response to these issues.