BERLIN
\nGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sought to tone down previous comments about his country\u2019s position on Palestinian statehood during a trip to the West Bank on Friday, saying Germany had no immediate plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
\nWadephul\u2019s comment followed sharp criticism from Israeli officials over his earlier suggestion, before he left for the trip, that Germany could respond to any unilateral Israeli actions with recognition of a Palestinian state.
\nFar-right Israeli government minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had written on X: \u201c80 years after the Holocaust, and Germany returns to supporting Nazism\u201d.
\nAfter meeting Israel\u2019s foreign minister, prime minister and president on Thursday evening, Wadephul explained on Friday that Germany did not plan to recognise a Palestinian state immediately, \u201cas that is one of the final steps to be taken\u201d as part of a two-state solution.
\nWadephul\u2019s attempt to clarify his remarks highlights Germany\u2019s longstanding difficulty in taking a clear position on the issue, caught between growing international pressure to hold Israel accountable for its actions and Germany\u2019s own post-Holocaust commitment to ensuring Israel\u2019s security.
\nHe called on Israel to ensure safe access for United Nations agencies to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying the current restrictions were worsening the crisis.
\n\u201cThe humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must end now,\u201d Wadephul said, stressing that aid distribution through the UN had long worked effectively and needed to resume without obstacles.
\nHe said Germany would provide an additional 5 million euros ($5.7 million) to the UN World Food Programme to support bakeries and soup kitchens and fund a field hospital in Gaza City.
\nAsked about Israeli concerns that aid could be diverted by Hamas, Wadephul acknowledged that misuse could not be fully ruled out but said it was no reason to block relief efforts.
\n\u201cThe best way to prevent Hamas from misusing supplies is to deliver more aid and ensure full coverage for the population,\u201d he said.
\nHe also condemned rising violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, adding that Berlin would continue pushing at the European level for sanctions on violent settlers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BERLIN German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sought to tone down previous comments about his country\u2019s position on Palestinian statehood during a trip to the West Bank on Friday, saying Germany had no immediate plans to recognise a Palestinian state. Wadephul\u2019s comment followed sharp criticism from Israeli officials over his earlier suggestion, before he left for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-494318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n