German Chancellor Confirms Will Not Join Allies To Recognize Palestinian Countries

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would not join Western ally initiatives to recognize the Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly (UN) next month.

Merz spoke at a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who last month said Canada plans to recognize the Palestinian state at the General Assembly, following a similar announcement by France and Britain.

Earlier, a German government spokesman said Berlin currently had no plans to recognize the Palestinian state. The reason is that it will undermine any attempt to achieve a negotiated two-state solution with Israel.

"The negotiated two-state solution remains our goal, although it seems far away today. Palestinian recognition is likely to come at the end of the process and such a decision will now be somewhat counterproductive," the spokesman said.

Countries including Australia, Britain, France, and Canada recently said they would recognize Palestinian countries under different conditions.