Palestinian statehood comes at the end of negotiations for a two-state solution and that process can no longer be held in abeyance, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday.
“A negotiated two-state solution remains the only path that can offer people on both sides a life in peace, security, and dignity,” he said in a statement issued shortly before his trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, as reported by Ynet News.
“For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of that process. But such a process must begin now.”
Wadephul’s remarks follow a string of announcements made by different countries on plans to recognize a Palestinian state and in doing so reward Hamas terrorists for their acts of aggression against Israel.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will move to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, a decision drew swift condemnation from Israel.
“Canada has long been committed to a two-state solution,” Carney said on X, referring to “an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security.”
With Hamas at war with Israel, and with no clear borders for a potential Palestinian state, nor a form of government other than autocracy, it was not clear what Carney was talking about, nor how to achieve it, Breitbart’s Joel Pollak noted.
Even so, the move aligns Canada with France, which has also pledged to recognize a Palestinian state in September, and the United Kingdom, which has said it will follow suit unless Israel agrees to conditions including a ceasefire in Gaza.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the Canadian announcement, calling it a “reward for Hamas” that undermines international efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by the terrorist group.
“The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages,” the statement read.
