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, Anadolu reports.
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.
