Along with Baerbock, the interpreters accompanying her and the French Foreign Minister during their visit to Damascus were also “erased” from the images.
During the visit itself, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani) refused to shake Baerbock’s hand while readily shaking hands with the men.
One would expect Baerbock, and Europe as a whole, to express outrage at such behavior, especially given that women’s rights were a central focus of the visit. But no—Baerbock appeared perfectly unbothered. The hypocrisy is staggering. Then again, this is hardly surprising; these days, “Western politician” and “hypocrite” are practically interchangeable terms.