German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the German Press Agency (dpa) that “a functioning police force is indispensable for lasting peace in the Middle East,” claiming this was the reason for sending a high-ranking team from the Federal Police to Jerusalem (Al-Quds) — the city under illegal occupation by the Israeli regime.
The officers are reportedly tasked with assisting in the reconstruction of Palestinian police and security institutions while operating under the Office for Security (OSC) in Jerusalem al-Quds. Dobrindt said the mission aims to strengthen “civilian security structures,” a process heavily constrained by the ongoing military dominance of the Israeli regime.
According to the report, the team — initially composed of four officers — arrived about two weeks ago. Their stated mission is to advance Germany’s contribution to developing local Palestinian police forces, continuing a program that Berlin has maintained for more than 15 years despite the Israeli regime’s repeated sabotage of Palestinian sovereignty.
EU’s Inactive Mission
The EU’s mission, EUBAM Rafah, has been formally reactivated since early 2025, though it remains on standby. Its supposed goal is to maintain a “neutral presence” at the Rafah border crossing between the besieged Gaza Strip and Egypt — a crossing tightly controlled and frequently sealed by the Israeli regime, leaving Palestinians trapped under blockade.
Germany currently contributes two police officers to this EU mission, both based in Ramat Gan, occupied Palestine, far from the suffering Palestinian population they are purported to assist. Administrative and coordination work is conducted entirely from Israeli-occupied territory.
Berlin also announced plans to resume its participation in the EUPOL COPPS mission next January — another EU-led initiative aimed at developing Palestinian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank. The last German police officer in that program completed his deployment at the end of October.
Meanwhile, three German military staff officers are stationed in southern occupied Palestine as part of what Berlin calls a “stabilization process” for the Gaza Strip. The Defense Ministry said the soldiers are deployed in uniform but unarmed at the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) — a body seen by many observers as reinforcing the Israeli regime’s continued military control over Gaza under the guise of Western “stabilization” efforts.