The policy of the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu all the more disappointing Germany, and this can be seen in the change of the position of Berlin in relation to the Jewish state, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel.
In its latest edition of the weekly reports that the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel was “furious” after leaking sensitive data from negotiations between Jerusalem and Berlin, held in the German capital in February. Confidential data subsequently appeared in free access in the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, owned by Netanyahu supporter Sheldon Adelson.
In addition, Der Spiegel reports that leaked to the media details of Merkel’s comments were “twisted” to create the impression that it supported the position of Netanyahu regarding peace negotiations between Israel and the PA. According to Netanyahu, the two-States solution with the Palestinians is currently not feasible, while German Chancellor actually said in connection with the construction of Israeli settlements “is unlikely to be a viable Palestinian state “.
The report also claims that Netanyahu has a deleterious effect on Israeli-German relations, to the extent that “many, particularly in the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Germany, began to wonder whether the interpreted position of the state incorrectly in the past.” The journal, in particular, indicates that Merkel speech in the Knesset in 2008, during which she said that Israel’s security is part of the “national interests” of Germany.
Change the position of Berlin, according to Der Spiegel, could be seen in the voting of Germany in January 2016 on the resolution of the European Union on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Minister of foreign Affairs of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to support Israel, referring to the paragraph in the draft resolution, criticizing the construction of settlements.
“I’m counting on you,” said Steinmeier, Netanyahu, the report said. But the foreign Minister voted in favour, condemning the expansion of Israeli settlements.
According to Der Spiegel, Merkel’s government is losing hope that the peace process can be restored as long as Netanyahu remains at the helm.
Another manifestation of this position of Germany came when Merkel met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin about two weeks ago. The German Chancellor, according to the report, “clearly demonstrated its support”.
“I understand why PA President Abbas continually appeals to the Security Council”, – said Angela Merkel, according to Der Spiegel.
The journal added that, “even accusations from Netanyahu that the rules of the EU labelling for Israeli products are akin to the anti-Jewish boycott no longer taken seriously”.
