After France announced its plan to recognize the Palestinian State in September, Germany said it is not planning to take this step in the short term, according to Reuters.
A German government spokesperson said on Friday that revealed that his country’s top priority now is to make “long-overdue progress” towards a two-state solution.
“Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government,” said the spokesperson. “The German government therefore has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.”
Germany’s position on Israel in the context of the Gaza war is deeply shaped by its sense of special responsibility to atone for the Holocaust, during which six million European Jews were killed under Hitler’s regime between 1933 and 1945.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September_ a move met by wide condemnations from Israel and the United States.
After Macron’s decision, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would hold an “emergency call” on Friday with France and Germany to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace,” Starmer said in a statement on Thursday.
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