A Palestinian Arab lynch mob attacked the German Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Oliver Owcza, on Tuesday over his country’s support for Israel.
Video circulating on social media shows students violently chasing the envoy out of the Palestinian Museum on the campus of Birzeit University, located about six miles north of the Samarian city of Ramallah.
In the video, the members of the mob surround Owcza’s vehicle, trying to force their way in by pulling on the driver’s side door, ripping off the rearview mirror and the license plate, throwing rocks at the car and shouting insults. Gunfire can be heard in the background. The crowd runs after the vehicle as it drives away.
He was attacked despite Berlin giving millions of euros to Palestinian initiatives and recently restoring funding to UNRWA, the embattled agency, some of whose employees participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre in the northwestern Negev.
After the incident, Owcza tweeted that despite his being “unduly interrupted by protesters,” Germany is still dedicated to working with the Palestinian Arabs.
“Peaceful protest & dialogue always has its place. We regret that today’s meeting of EU Heads of Missions at the National Museum in Birzeit was unduly interrupted by protestors,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, we remain committed to constructively work with our Palestinian partners!”
Germany is considered an important ally of Jerusalem, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz making two solidarity visits after the Oct. 7 attack and intervening on behalf of Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to refute allegations of genocide during the Gaza war lodged by South Africa.
