Hamburg's Parliament President Carola Veit is currently stranded in Tel Aviv, Israel, due to the ongoing attacks by Iran and the resultant airspace closure, German media reported.

"We are staying in a hotel, we are in contact with the German embassy, and we are now waiting," said Carola Veit, the president of the Hamburg Parliament from the SPD party, according to the German Press Agency. She did not expect that she and her protocol chief would be able to fly back to Hamburg soon. "We are looking from day to day. Today, we certainly won't be able to leave here anymore. I am also skeptical for tomorrow," she said.

Veit had planned to return to Hamburg early Friday morning after her four-day visit to Israel, which was arranged following an invitation from Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor. The Israel-Hamas war, which broke out after Hamas terrorists carried out a massacre on October 7, 2023, did not change her plans to visit Israel.

On Saturday night, Veit had to go to the hotel's shelter four times. "We have 90 seconds to go to the shelter and must stay there until the all-clear," she explained to German media. She described the situation in Tel Aviv: "It is really a state of war. Life has come to a standstill. No buses are running, no trains, no taxis—it is also still Shabbat.

"I am getting more calls than on my birthday," she noted. "It is a stressful situation, but it is the same for everyone here."

Visitors seen at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem on April 16, 2023, ahead of Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)
Visitors seen at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem on April 16, 2023, ahead of Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)

Hamburg's Parliament president's impression of Israel

During her visit to Israel, Veit traveled to Jerusalem, Ashdod, and Beersheba. In Jerusalem, she visited the Knesset and the Holocaust memorial center, Yad Vashem. "My impression is that Israel sees itself not only as a defender of its own security but also sees Iran as an underestimated threat to the Western world," she stated.

She noted, "The people in Israel have also been surprised by the rapidly changing developments." She added, saying things have accelerated after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition survived last Wednesday.

"The current escalation is highly dangerous for everyone in the region, and it also calls into question our usual security architecture," Veit remarked. She observed that her impression is that people are accustomed to the security situation spontaneously changing. "The majority of people accept the decisions of their government," she added.

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stern, Hamburger Morgenpost, and Die Welt covered the news, among other outlets.

This article was prepared by a news-analysis system.