Germany's staunch support for Israel was a likely reason for its failed bid to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Christoph Heusgen, who served as foreign policy advisor to longtime German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Thursday.
"This application of double standards (over human rights) is, unfortunately, what we have now been accused of. It may also have contributed to the fact that we were not elected," Christoph Heusgen told public broadcaster RBB.
Heusgen, a former UN ambassador, also served as head of the Munich Security Conference.
Critics accuse the German government of failing to join other countries in condemning Israel's brutal military actions during the Gaza war as violations of international law.
Johann Wadephul, Germany's current foreign minister, acknowledged on Wednesday that Berlin's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and on Israel may have cost the country the votes it needed to win a seat on the council.
Germany was outpolled by Portugal and Austria in the first round of voting at the UN General Assembly, missing out on one of the two seats reserved for the Western Europe and Others Group for the 2027-2028 term.
During the ballot, Germany mustered only 104 votes, well short of the two-thirds threshold of 127 required to win. Portugal topped the ballot with 134, and Austria followed with 131.
The vote marked the first time Germany-seen as a pillar of the post-World War II international order-failed in its bid for a seat on the most powerful UN body.
