Germany will not respond harshly to Israel’s planned unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank, a diplomatic official in Jerusalem claims.
While annexation would likely cause a certain degree of damage to bilateral ties, Berlin has made plain that it does plan to enact sanctions against the Jewish state or recognize a Palestinian state, the official says.
“Germany will not go off the deep end,” he adds, speaking to Israeli reporters on conditions of anonymity. “The Germans are not in favor of sanctions, and will not recognize a Palestinian state. They are pragmatic. Their main goal is to guarantee [regional] stability. They don’t want to cause a major upset. Rather, they are going to look for ways to encourage us and the Palestinians to return to talks.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is due in Israel on Wednesday for a meeting with his counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi. Berlin is staunchly opposed to annexation and has made its view unmistakably clear.
— Raphael Ahren
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