German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, left, address the media during a joint statement prior to a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, August 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Germany continues to believe a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is the only way for both peoples “to live in peace and security.”
Merkel stressed her support for a two-state solution ahead of talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Chancellery in Berlin.
“We appreciate Chancellor Merkel’s efforts to create multilateral cooperation, [separately] from unilateral solutions to create stability and peace in the world,” Abbas said.
He stressed the importance of Germany’s role in the Middle East and thanked the country for its financial support for Palestinians’ health services, education and the strengthening of civil society.
Germany is one of the biggest donors to the Palestinians, having given them some 110 million euros ($121.8 million) in 2018.
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Rina Shnerb, 17, who was killed in a terror attack in the West Bank on August 23, 2019 (courtesy)
In his statement, Abbas also appeared to speak for the first time, albeit vaguely, about the bombing attack in the West Bank last week that killed an Israeli teenager and wounded her father and brother.
“We condemn the use of violence against civilians and we respect the Semitic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” he said.
He did not explicitly mention attacks against Israelis, or the attack itself, which claimed the life of 17-year-old Rina Shnerb.
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