German Foreign Minister Haikou Maas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that some European Union countries are pushing for punitive measures if Israel implements its plan to annex the Palestinian territories.
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth website, the German minister told Netanyahu during a meeting that brought them together this evening, that Germany does not support these measures, but will find it difficult to prevent them.
According to the site, Mas also conveyed this message to the Israeli army minister, Benny Gantz, and to the foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, whom he met in separate meetings before Netanyahu met.
Mas told Israeli officials that some European countries are taking steps to recognize a Palestinian state.
The German minister asked to listen to the Israeli government´s plans regarding the US President Donald Trump´s plan, considering that Germany will take over the presidency of the European Union and the membership of the UN Security Council next month.
Netanyahu said that any plan must recognize the reality of Israeli settlement on the ground, and not reinforce the illusion of displacing people from their homes. According to him.
Netanyahu saw Trump´s plan as a historic opportunity to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that work must be done to push it forward.
During the German minister´s meeting with Gantz, the latter confirmed that the plan will be implemented responsibly and through dialogue with various parties in the region and as part of a broad international dialogue.
Gantz praised Germany´s important role in promoting peace and security in the Middle East.
During their meeting with the German minister, Netanyahu and Gantes discussed issues related to the situation in Syria, Hezbollah and Iran, as well as financing civil society organizations that support Palestinian factions.
Mas had met his counterpart Ashkenazi, and the latter had confirmed that until now there was no final decision on annexation in Israel, and that the mapping had not yet ended.
