German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has condemned the escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians as “terror,” emphasizing Germany’s opposition to any Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.
During a visit to the West Bank town of Taybeh, which saw settler attacks against Christians earlier this week, Wadephul said on Friday, “Such acts are crimes; they are terror, and they finally need to be prosecuted.”
The minister also visited the archaeological site of the historic Church of St. George in Taybeh, which was set on fire by settlers last month. He vowed to continue pushing at the European level for sanctions against violent Israeli settlers.
Germany’s top diplomat urged the occupying regime to adhere to international law and protect Palestinian civilians.
Wadephul also slammed Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including a plan known as E1 for almost 3,500 new settler units, calling it a major obstacle to the so-called two-state solution, which he argued is the only sustainable path to peace.
Berlin’s policy is that “a Palestinian state must have a chance,” he stressed.
Wadephul also issued a stern warning to Israel not to annex the West Bank.
“We clearly reject any annexation fantasies, whether for Gaza or the West Bank, which are also put forward by parts of the Israeli government,” Wadephul said. “They would not be recognized by Germany.”
His remarks came as Knesset lawmakers voted 71-13 in favor of a symbolic measure calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank on July 23.
Two Israeli ministers, Yariv Levin and Israel Katz, also openly pushed for the full annexation of the occupied West Bank.
“Ministers Katz and Levin have been working for many years to implement Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” their offices said in a joint statement on Thursday, using the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement expansion in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.
Germany hasn’t joined major allies France, Britain, and Canada in their decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Wadephul said Germany, Israel’s staunch ally, had no immediate plans to recognize a Palestinian state, but saw this as coming “at the end of a political process”.
“We support the right of the Palestinians to have their own state at the end of a political process,” the Minister said after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday.
During his visit to al-Quds on Thursday, Wadephul warned that Israel was in danger of becoming internationally isolated.
“My mission here today was to tell the Israeli side that they must act now and not just at some point,” he said, adding, “We need clarity – also from Israel – that no policy of expulsion and no policy of active annexation is being pursued.”
Wadephul urged Israel to allow the entry of sufficient aid shipments to Gaza quickly and safely, describing the humanitarian situation in the besieged strip as “beyond imagination”, as the occupying regime has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March.
“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must end now,” Wadephul said, calling on the Israeli regime to ensure safe access for United Nations agencies to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
UN staff had “clearly shown that they are able to provide sufficient supplies to all people in Gaza if they are allowed to do so and if they can work in safety”, Wadephul said.
Israel launched the genocidal campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed more than 60,200 Palestinians there so far, according to the Health Ministry of Gaza.
The regime has also escalated its West Bank violence since October 7, 2023. Israeli forces and settlers have killed about 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied territory.