German chancellor calls for 2-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that the only path to peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a “negotiated two-state solution.”

“Lasting security for future generations of Israeli people lies in a solution with the Palestinians not against them. This means a negotiated two-state solution,” Scholz said at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to the war, he said: "The people of Gaza cannot be left to starve."

On humanitarian aid supplies, the German chancellor said: “Much more humanitarian aid is needed continuously and reliably.”

Scholz called for reforming and strengthening the Palestinian Authority, saying that both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank “belong to the administration of the Palestinian Authority.”

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala