According to Anadolu Agency, Germany has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for excluding Palestine from a map labeled “The New Middle East” during his recent address to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, expressed Germany’s concern during a regular press briefing in Berlin, stating, “Showing a map that does not show territories that are occupied or annexed, so to speak, is something that we naturally reject and that it is of no assistance in achieving a negotiated two-state solution.”
Fischer reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering support for a two-state solution and urged all parties to intensify their diplomatic efforts to end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He emphasized, “It is clear that we continue to adhere to the goal of a two-state solution.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who leads a far-right government widely regarded as one of the most conservative in Israeli history, presented a succession of maps during his address to the General Assembly last Friday. Notably, one of these maps did not depict the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, or Gaza.
Since 1967, these Palestinian territories have been under illicit Israeli occupation, in accordance with international law. While Israeli forces departed from Gaza in 2005, the blockade imposed by Israel continues to pose significant economic and humanitarian challenges.
