Germany says Israel's settlement policy violates international law

BERLIN

Germany on Thursday reiterated its opposition to Israel’s settlement policy, saying it violates international law.

“This settlement policy, in this form, is contrary to international law. It literally blocks the possibility of a two-state solution,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said at a press briefing with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Berlin.

Wadephul also criticized calls within Israel’s political establishment to annex the West Bank, stating that it would “pose significant reputational risks for Israel.”

The German minister called again on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza amid what he called “shocking images” from the war-stricken enclave.

He stressed that a two-state solution is the “only realistic solution.”

Wadephul said his country would only recognize an independent Palestinian state as part of a negotiated solution.

The minister also announced that Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans “to visit Israel this year.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of people rallied at the German Foreign Ministry to protest the Israeli foreign minister’s visit to Berlin.

Participants waved Palestinian flags and carried banners with slogans such as "No support for war crimes in Gaza," "Stop the arms shipments," and "Stop the deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza."

In other related news, a survey published by public broadcaster ARD said that 74% of Germans think that their country should unconditionally side with Israel in the Middle East conflict, while only 13% of the respondents believed otherwise.

More than 54,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

The Israeli army resumed its assaults on the Gaza Strip on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.