Germany to back New York plan, not to recognize Palestinian state yet
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Germany has announced support for a France- and Saudi Arabia-led UN resolution on the "two-state solution".
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A German flag is fixed at a construction vehicle in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP)
Germany has decided to support a France- and Saudi Arabia-led push at the United Nations for a "two-state solution", according to sources familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
The move represents a rare break with both the United States and "Israel," coming in the aftermath of this week’s Israeli aggression on Qatar. The German government joined other European states in condemning the escalation.
Berlin is expected to endorse the New York Declaration, which is set to be put to a vote at the UN on Friday. The initiative, spearheaded by Paris and Riyadh, calls for the creation of a Palestinian state and affirms the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Unlike France and Britain, however, German officials emphasized that they will not immediately recognize Palestinian statehood. Instead, they insist such recognition should come only as part of a negotiated settlement.
On the issue of refugees, Berlin’s stance remains unchanged. According to Bloomberg, officials stated that the right to return must be addressed through direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The shift comes amid growing anger in Europe following "Israel’s" unprecedented airstrikes on Qatar’s capital earlier this week, as just last month, Germany said that the recognition of Palestine was "off the table."
Changes in German policy toward Palestine
Germany’s stance on Palestinian statehood has shifted gradually from silence to conditional support. In the early decades after World War II, West Germany prioritized ties with "Israel", with Palestinians largely absent from its foreign policy.
A turning point came in 1980 when Germany co-signed the Venice Declaration, recognizing Palestinian self-determination and denouncing Israeli settlements as illegal under international law.
Following reunification, Germany adopted a cautious line, endorsing a "two-state solution" but refusing to recognize Palestine unilaterally. Successive governments stressed that recognition must come through negotiations.
Chancellor Angela Merkel entrenched this position in 2008 when she declared "Israel’s security is Germany’s Staatsräson," while at the same time voicing opposition to settlement expansion. Germany abstained in the 2012 UN vote on Palestinian observer status and explicitly rejected unilateral recognition in 2014.
More recently, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and current Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed this commitment but have faced increasing pressure to balance it with support for a viable Palestinian state. In August 2025, Germany even announced a partial freeze on arms exports to "Israel" following its genocide in Gaza.
However, Germany’s support for the France-Saudi-led New York Declaration marks its clearest political endorsement of Palestinian statehood within a multilateral framework, signaling a cautious but significant departure from alignment with the US and "Israel".
