Germany on Friday criticized Israel's continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank but stopped short of backing calls from EU partners for tougher measures, including a trade ban on goods from these settlements.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told a news conference in Berlin that Germany's long-held position on illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories remains unchanged, and that it continues to remind Israel of its obligations under international law.
"All German governments to date — and we ourselves — have consistently issued statements to this effect," Wadephul said, adding that he reiterated Germany's expectations during his visit to Israel on Tuesday, when he discussed the latest developments with his Israeli counterpart.
"International law is the guiding principle here, and there must be no unilateral de facto annexation," he said. "In particular, any form of settler violence is unacceptable. We expect the Israeli government to take decisive action against it." He added that he had received assurances on the matter from his Israeli counterpart.
Wadephul stopped short of saying whether Germany would back proposals to ban or restrict imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank at Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers. Instead, he stressed the need to keep dialogue channels open with Israel.
"We have previously made decisions to impose sanctions on radical settler organizations prone to violence. We are ready to review the situation again at any time," he said.
Wadephul argued that the immediate priority should be fostering conditions for progress on other urgent fronts.
"Overall, we must now foster a climate that guarantees, firstly, the success of the fruitful talks Israel is holding with Lebanon aimed at reaching an agreement. That is of historic importance," he said. "And secondly, it is crucial that we finally make progress regarding the Gaza Strip. A solution there has been pending for far too long."
He reiterated that Israel should not impose restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza and must allow more aid into the Palestinian territory. He also called for accelerating efforts to dismantle Hamas's power structure.
"We must finally reach a point where responsibility for the Gaza Strip is gradually handed over to the Palestinian administration that is to be formed," Wadephul said. "I believe we should focus on these questions now. And that will also be my key contribution at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday."
