Germany: Berlin 'strongly condemns' rockets attacks from Gaza into Israel

W/S German government press conference
M/S Government spokespeople
C/U Camera
SOT, Steffen Seibert, German government spokesperson (German): "The federal government strongly condemns the rocket attacks on civil population areas in Israel from extremist groups in Gaza. There can't be any form of justification for this kind of violence against the civil population, and Israel has the right to defend their security and react appropriately to the rocket attacks."
M/S Cameraman *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Steffen Seibert, German government spokesperson (German): "The highest court of the European Union gave a verdict, the verdict speaks for itself: it's about a dispensation of justice and is legally binding for the member states. It won't change the politics of the federal government, with regard to Israel, in regard to our responsibility for Israel, in regard to the peace process in the Middle East, through this verdict."
W/S Conference concluding
M/S Spokespeople leaving
SCRIPT
German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert condemned the reported launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, as a response to the killing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander Bahaa Abu Al-Ata. Seibert spoke in Berlin on Wednesday.
"The federal government strongly condemns the rocket attacks on civil population areas in Israel from extremist groups in Gaza. There can't be any form of justification for this kind of violence against the civil population, and Israel has the right to defend their security and react appropriately to the rocket attacks," said Seibert.
"The highest court of the European Union gave a verdict, the verdict speaks for itself: it's about a dispensation of justice and is legally binding for the member states. It won't change the politics of the federal government, with regard to Israel, in regard to our responsibility for Israel, in regard to the peace process in the Middle East, through this verdict," he added.
According to reports, an increased number of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel after PIJ commander Al-Ata was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.