German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that Berlin does not intend to acknowledge an independent Palestinian state “in the near future,” despite increasing pressure to shift its stance on Israel's brutal war and ethnic cleansing policies in Gaza.
"What matters now is implementing this peace plan step by step, and none of us knows today what the outcome will be. Because this is the case, the federal government, unlike other European states, has refrained from recognizing a Palestinian state at this early stage. We will not do so in the foreseeable future either...," said Merz at a press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
"The German federal government remains of the opinion that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end-not the beginning-of such a process (peace negotiations)," he added.
The German leader reiterated: "A two-state solution can only be achieved through negotiations."
Merz said that they were working "towards the goal of a new Middle East" in which the state of Israel would also be recognized.
"We are convinced that the prospective establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel probably offers the best prospect for this future," he added.
A staunch supporter of Israel during its genocide in Gaza, the German government has faced mounting public criticism for its unconditional support for Israel.
In October, nearly 200 intellectuals, legal scholars and foreign policy experts called on the center-right government to end its policy of "blind loyalty" to Israel and the repression of pro-Palestine voices in the country.
They signed a new policy paper, urging a complete overhaul of Germany's pro-Israel stance, calling for decisions rooted in international law rather than historical guilt.
