A diplomatic incident between Germany and the Palestinian Authority occurred Saturday, when German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier refused to meet the Mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh, allegedly because the mayor's city council included members of Hamas .
However, sources close to Steinmeier told Ynet "the minister didn't meet the mayor of Bethlehem because such a meeting was not scheduled. Other than that, the minister was very pleased with the welcome he received in the city."
The governor of Bethlehem, Brigadier Salah Al-Ta'mari refused, in an act of solidarity with Batarseh, to meet the German minister. Even though Hamas is the largest faction in the city council, Palestinian law states only a Christian can be elected its mayor. Batarseh leads a council made up from Hamas as well as other faction.
Steinmeier's position seemed odd, especially since he met with Palestinian cabinet members who, unlike Batarseh, serve in a Hamas-led government. Some of them are even considered his personal friends.
"This is a foolish move by the Germans coinciding with a series of boycotts against the mayor. But how can he meet with ministers of the Hamas government and not with Batarseh? The Germans were never this petty" said a Palestinian source.
During his visit, Steinmeier also met with the Palestinian treasury, tourism and National Initiative ministers, who asked him to renew Germany's financial support to the Palestinian Authority.
Ronen Bodoni contributed to this piece