German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Germany will not join Western countries in recognizing Palestine as an independent state. Last July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as an independent state during the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. This would make France the first major Western country to recognize Palestinian independence. The United Kingdom and Canada have also indicated that they would recognize Palestine as an independent state.
However, during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Merz said that the German federal government’s position on the Palestinian issue is very clear. He stated that Canada is aware of Germany’s stance on the matter and that Germany does not believe the conditions for recognizing Palestine as an independent state have been met. Germany is one of the Western countries that provides the most support to Israel. It is also the second-largest arms supplier to Israel after the United States. Nevertheless, as the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate due to Israeli attacks, Germany has been forced to speak out against Israel to some extent.
In response to Israel’s announcement of expanding its offensive in Gaza and attempting to bring the area under full Israeli control, Germany decided earlier this month to halt the supply of military weapons that Israel might use in this operation. This decision is seen as a result of pressure from German citizens and coalition partners in the federal government to speak out against Israel due to the ongoing attacks on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade.
In a statement released at the time, Chancellor Merz said that Israel’s decision to bring Gaza under its full control would make it difficult to achieve the objectives that they claim to be pursuing in their offensive in Gaza.
