German government has no intentions of acknowledging Palestine as a separate state.
Olaf Scholz, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, has stated that the German government has no plans to acknowledge Palestine as a separate nation right now. Scholz elaborated on this during a press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, revealing that there is "no clarity" regarding the state's territory or any related issues, emphasizing that a "negotiated solution between Israel and the Palestinians" resulting in a two-state solution is the objective. This would also involve a Palestinian autonomous authority administering the West Bank and Gaza. He added, "We're still a long way off." The focus, per Scholz, should be on achieving a long-lasting truce and all parties accepting a two-state agreement.
Recently, it has become apparent that Arab countries are pushing for regional peace, leading to hopes for a two-state solution. Scholz stated that merely recognizing Palestine as a separate state symbolically would not lead to further progress.
Spain, Ireland, and Norway have announced their plans to acknowledge Palestine as an independent state by the end of May, but Israel has expressed outrage over this decision. Despite this, Montenegro clarified that Portugal won't be executing this move for now. However, his country had supported Palestine's admission as a UN member state.
Chancellor Scholz additionally discussed the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant filed by Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor. He strongly disagreed with Khan's decision to file these applications alongside the ones for terrorist organization Hamas. Scholz stated, "The Federal Government firmly rejects the comparability." The German government holds a negative stance on this approach, and the final verdict will be determined by the panel of judges. He concluded by saying, "We have to wait and see. There is no need and no right to speculate." Scholz assured that the German government presumes the decision will acknowledge Israel's position as a democratic state governed by the rule of law with a robust and independent judiciary.
May 5, 2023 11:00 a.m.
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Source: www.ntv.de
