The German Chancellor said today that he would not join a Western allies initiative to recognize a Palestinian state at the General Assembly that will take place next month in New York.
Mertz made these statements at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mike Carney who said last month that Canada plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the General Assembly, following similar announcements made by France and Britain.
‘We will not proceed with the recognition of a Palestinian state’
“The position of the federal government is clear in terms of recognition of a Palestinian state,” Mertz said.
“Canada knows this. We will not join this initiative. We do not think that the terms for state recognition have been fulfilled in any way at present.”
Germany believes that the recognition of a Palestinian state should be one of the final steps in a two -state solution on which the Israelis and the Palestinians can live peacefully next to them.
On the contrary, Carney announced in late July that his country would recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September.
French President Emmanuel Macron is also planning to do so, while Britain threatened Israel that it would recognize a Palestinian state unless certain conditions were fulfilled.
Carney justified his decision by saying that the prospects for a two -state solution are getting worse.
