Germany’s Merz warns Israel against annexing West Bank

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday warned Israel against the annexation of the occupied West Bank, media reports said.

“The situation in the West Bank must not be lost sight of. We must keep the path to Palestinian statehood open. Therefore, there must be no annexation steps in the West Bank,” Merz said in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, where he met the Jordanian King Abdullah II.

Ultra-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have long advocated annexation of the occupied West Bank, which Palestinians claim as part of a future independent state.

“We want to help lay the foundations for a new order throughout the Middle East.” It must be an order in which Israelis, Palestinians and Arab neighbours can live in lasting peace, freedom and security, he added.

Merz reiterated that Germany supports a two-state solution and said that peace negotiations should begin soon.