German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Photo courtesy Federal Foreign Office (X/Twitter)
Johann Wadephul said in a statement before heading to Israel that the recent UN conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- boycotted by the US and Israel -- showed that "Israel is finding itself increasingly in the minority".
Germany is one of Israel's staunchest diplomatic allies but Wadephul noted that "in view of the open threats of annexation by some in the Israeli government, a growing number of European countries are ready to recognise a state of Palestine without previous negotiations".
Last week, more than 70 Israeli lawmakers, including some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, passed a motion urging the government to annexe the occupied West Bank.
Wadephul repeated Berlin's position that "the recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of the process" of negotiations.
He did however sharpen his tone slightly by insisting that "this process must begin now" and that "Germany will also be forced to react to unilateral moves".
On Gaza, whose two-million-plus inhabitants now face an unfolding famine, Wadephul demanded that Israel enable more aid into the territory "immediately, comprehensively and in a lasting way" to alleviate the "dramatic" situation there.
He said that airlifts -- which Germany will take part in in coming days -- were one way of delivering aid but that they "cannot replace" deliveries by land.
"Only overland can aid reach the population in the necessary quantities," he said, adding that Germany was working to re-establish the land route "urgently".
Israel has imposed a complete blockade on Gaza since 2 March, only recently easing it to allow limited aid airdrops and a small number of trucks through land crossings.
The UN and several aid agencies warn that these aid drops and the limited supplies allowed on the ground are far from sufficient. They have demanded that Israel lift the blockade and allow unrestricted humanitarian access to a population deliberately starved into famine.
Wadephul is expected to meet his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and President Isaac Herzog on the trip to Israel, as well as Netanyahu.
He will also travel to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: