Reference News, September 23: According to the website of Germany's "Welt" newspaper on September 23, an increasing number of Western countries have recognized the State of Palestine, thereby exerting pressure on Israel. However, Germany has refused to take this step. On the eve of his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Berlin that Germany hopes to recognize the State of Palestine after a ceasefire between the two sides and through negotiations to achieve a two-state solution.
Germany's principles on the Israeli-Palestinian issue are conflicting with each other, and these conflicts are becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile. On one hand, Germany has a historical responsibility to ensure the existence of Israel as a state, and therefore supports Israel's right to self-defense in principle. On the other hand, the more Israel escalates its war, the more human rights violations the Palestinians suffer.
Germany's special role prevents it from pressuring Israel by immediately recognizing the State of Palestine like other countries. Therefore, on this issue, Germany seems to be lost in the very chasm it tries to bridge.
According to the "Nikkei" newspaper on September 23, on the evening of the 22nd, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada attended the high-level international conference on the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution, jointly hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, during his visit to New York. Okada stated at the meeting that Japan will not follow the footsteps of countries such as France and the UK in recognizing the State of Palestine, but will maintain dialogue with both Israel and Palestine on an independent basis.
While countries such as France and the UK have formally recognized the State of Palestine, the United States still refuses to do so, which means there is a division within the G7.
The report said that when explaining Japan's position, Okada explained, "The issue is not whether to recognize, but when to recognize." He also said, "We will closely monitor future developments and conduct a comprehensive assessment."
There are opinions within the Japanese government that "to continue working with the US and Israel, maintaining the status of not recognizing (the State of Palestine) makes it easier to exert influence." Okada also emphasized in an interview on the 19th that "it is inaccurate to accuse Japan of following the US."
(Translation/ Wang Qing Liu Lin)
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