German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a statement before departing for Israel on Thursday that the time has come for negotiations on the Palestinian issue and a two-state solution to start.
"A negotiated two-state solution remains the only path that can offer people on both sides a life in peace, security, and dignity," he noted in the statement. "For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of that process. But such a process must begin now," he added.
Furthermore, the minister noted that the recent UN conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict showed that Israel is diplomatically isolated over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and that there are not many allies it can count on.
