German envoys to Israel, Ramallah decry Israel’s new West Bank policies as ‘further obstacle’ to 2-state solution

German envoys to Jerusalem and Ramallah join a chorus of international rebuke over the Israeli security cabinet’s approval on Sunday of a West Bank policy overhaul aimed at expanding Jerusalem’s control of the territory.

“Israel’s decision to allow private land purchases and transfer parts of the administration in the West Bank violates international law and represents a further obstacle to a two-state solution,” writes Anke Schlimm, the head of Germany’s Representative Office in Ramallah, on X, adding that “the West Bank is an integral part of a future Palestinian state.”

Reposting Schlimm’s statement, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert says he “fully agree[s]” with his colleague, adding, “The Security Cabinet’s decisions contravene Israel’s obligation under International Law.”

The Palestinian Authority, Hamas, much of the Arab and Muslim world, the European Union, and the United Nations have all condemned the measures, while the US issued a more measured statement, reiterating its opposition to Israel annexing the West Bank but not mentioning the new measures directly.