Merkel and Israel's Bennett differ on Iran, Palestinians
Germany's lame-duck chancellor, Angela Merkel, received a warm welcome Sunday as she paid a final official visit to Israel, but differences quickly emerged between the close allies on the key issues of Iran's nuclear program and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Merkel said that Germany remains committed to reviving the international nuclear agreement with Iran a step Israel opposes. She also said that Germany believes that a two-state solution remains the best way to end Israel's decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.
"Personally, I think that on this point, even if at this stage it seems almost hopeless, the idea of a two-state solution should not be taken off the table, it should not be buried . and that the Palestinians should be able to live securely in a state," Merkel said at a joint news conference with PM Naftali Bennett. She also said that Israeli settlement construction on occupied territories sought by the Palestinians was unhelpful. Bennett, a former settler leader who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, quickly pushed back.
“Based on our experience, the meaning of a Palestinian state means that very likely there will be established a terror state, roughly seven minutes from my house and from almost any point in Israel," he said.