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Merz hails Germany's friendship with Israel on first visit

Merz in Israel: Working toward goal of 'new Middle East'
Kieran Burke | Karl Sexton | Emmy Sasipornkarn | Timothy Jones dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP, epd, KNA

The German chancellor said "lasting peace is possible" in Gaza and that the possible establishment of a Palestinian state, alongside Israel, offered the best prospect for future peace. DW has more.

WATCH - Merz visits Yad Vashem, meets Netanyahu

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, reaffirming Germany's historic responsibility and commitment to Israel's security. His first trip to Israel came after a Gaza ceasefire and amid strained ties over the war. Merz backed a two-state solution, diverging from Prime Minister Netanyahu's stance, as both countries navigate peace talks and regional tension

IDF chief says ceasefire demarcation line in Gaza, 'a new border'

The chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Eyal Zamir, has called the yellow demarcation line where Israeli forces have withdrawn to in Gaza, a "new border."

"We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defense lines. The Yellow Line is a new border line — serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity," Israel's military quoted Zamir as saying to reserve soldiers while on a visit in Gaza.

Under the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas and as part of phase one of the three-phase plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn to positions within the Gaza Strip behind the so-called yellow line, while they remain in control of all areas within that yellow line.

The second phase of the ceasefire would involve Israeli troops' withdrawal from Gaza, deploying an international security force, forming a technocratic Palestinian committee within Gaza, and Hamas'disarmament.

Zamir's statements coincided with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz' visit to Israel, his first since becoming chancellor, where he urged the implementation of the truce's next steps.

Netanyahu visit to Germany not on the cards

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had to handle a delicate question during his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Asked whether he would reciprocate an invitation for a visit to Germany to Netanyahu, Merz answered:

"There is no reason to discuss this at present. If time allows, I would issue such an invitation, but this is not an issue for either of us at this point in time."

Netanyahu addressed the issue, saying that while he would be "delighted to visit Germany again" and bring the governments together, there was an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for him. 

In November 2024, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who Israel said has been killed.

They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. 

Specifically, the ICC has stated there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for applying starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes against humanity in the form of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Netanyahu rejects the accusations.

Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which is the founding treaty of the ICC. Germany is a signatory.

Earlier in March, before he officially became chancellor, Merz said he had promised Netanyahu "we will find ways and means for him to visit Germany and also to be able to leave again without being arrested in Germany." 

 

A unique friendship: German-Israeli relations through history

Christoph Strack

Germany, the country of the perpetrators of the Holocaust, became a diplomatic partner for Israel soon after 1948. The relationship was marked by both critical phases and tensions.

From the horror of the Holocaust to Willy Brandt's first state visit to Israel in 1973, DW takes a closer look at what has marked this unique relationship over the years in this article.

https://www.dw.com/en/merz-in-israel-working-toward-goal-of-new-middle-east/live-75044496

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

"It has been said that though God cannot alter the past, historians [GUS: AND POLITICIANS] can; it is perhaps because they can be useful to Him in this respect that He tolerates their existence...
Samuel Butler (1835-1902)

2 states.....

Israel will not allow the creation of a Palestinian state, since its true purpose is the destruction of “the one and only Jewish state,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. 

Netanyahu made the remarks on Sunday in Jerusalem during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. While Merz reaffirmed Berlin’s commitment to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Netanyahu openly disagreed with him, claiming that such an entity would be “committed to our destruction at our doorstep.”

“They already had a state in Gaza, a de facto state, and it was used to try to destroy the one and only Jewish state,” Netanyahu stated, referring to the Palestinian enclave that has been effectively run by the militant group Hamas. 

Israel believes that there’s “a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states” and to “establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbors” that does not involve the creation of an independent entity, he added.

Israel’s prime minister has repeatedly rejected the two-state solution proposed by the UN Security Council. The scheme entails the creation of a Palestinian state within the armistice lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The original UN plan for partition in 1947 envisioned separate Jewish and Arab states, but a series of subsequent wars allowed Israel to seize most of the land which had been allocated to the Palestinians. 

Netanyahu noted that the occupation of the West Bank, considered to be illegal under international law, remains a subject of discussion, yet signaled that the status quo is expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

https://www.rt.com/news/629145-palestinian-state-israel-destruction/

 

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A two-state resolution is the only option that can guarantee justice for Israelis and Palestinians, Pope Leo XIV has said.

He made the remarks while flying from Türkiye to Lebanon on Sunday for the second leg of his first international trip as pontiff.

The Vatican formally recognized Palestinian statehood in 2015, and the Holy See has repeatedly backed a two-state solution.

His comments on the flight, however, marked his strongest call yet for official international recognition amid the war in Gaza.

“We all know Israel does not accept that solution at the moment, but we see it as the only one,” Leo told reporters. “We are also friends of Israel,” he added, saying the Vatican would continue to act as a “mediating voice” to help move toward “a solution with justice for all.”

When asked about his private talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and whether they had discussed the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Leo confirmed that they had, saying Türkiye has an “important role to play” in ending both conflicts. Regarding negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish president “helped very much to convoke the two parties,” the Pope said.

https://www.rt.com/news/628726-pope-two-state-palestine/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.