German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem following his visit to Taybeh and another meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Palestine. In his first public statements in his visit to Palestine, Minister Wadephul condemned settler terrorism on Palestinians and describe their actions as “organised terrorism”.
However in his trip to Israel the German Foreign Minister also stressed that Germany has no intention of recognising the State of Palestine in the immediate future. During his meeting with Premier Netanyahu, the German Foreign Minister pressured the Israeli premier to allow more aid into Gaza.
In a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President told the German Foreign Minister that a Palestinian State will be unarmed and no armed factions will be allowed. President Abbas stressed that the Palestinian State will be run by one security force and under the rule-of-law.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Hamas said that it is is rejecting demands for it to disarm and said that it will only disarm if a Palestinian state is formed. A host of European countries including France and Malta are expected to recognise the State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders in the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.
Newsroom
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