German Foreign Minister Maas and Prime Minister Netanyahu
Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO
German FM urges Palestinians 'not to tear down bridges'
Heiko Maas, Germany's new foreign minister, visits Middle East for first time since taking office; in Ramallah, he tells Palestinians peace efforts without the US 'would be difficult'; while in Jerusalem he tells Netanyahu 'Our views differ, but first and foremost we are friends.'
Germany's new foreign minister on Monday urged the Palestinians "not to tear down bridges," an apparent reference to President Mahmoud Abbas' contentious relationship with the US and political rival Hamas.
Heiko Maas also acknowledged differences with Israel about the international community's nuclear deal with Iran, but gave no commitment to altering the deal ahead of a mid-May deadline set by US President Donald Trump.
Maas was on his first trip to the Middle East since becoming foreign minister earlier this month.
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with German Foreign Minister Maas in Jerusalem (Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO)
The Trump administration has refused to make such a commitment. In December, President Trump recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, prompting Abbas to rule out the US as a future Mideast broker.
Maas said Monday that peace efforts without the US "would be difficult."
Meanwhile, months-long efforts to sideline Hamas in Gaza through a deal with Abbas appear to have collapsed after a Gaza bombing narrowly missed Abbas' prime minister this month.
Later in Jerusalem, Maas professed his country's friendship with Israel, despite differences over the two-state solution, which Netanyahu no longer endorses, and the Iranian nuclear issue.
"Our views differ, but first and foremost we are friends," he said. "We want to hear from our friends their concerns and fears, and therefore I have come here."
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with German Foreign Minister Mass in Jerusalem (Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO)
Netanyahu has been an outspoken critic of the 2015 nuclear deal, and urged the international community to "fix it or nix it." He says the deal does not have sufficient safeguards to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Given Trump's mid-May deadline, US negotiators have been working with Britain, France and Germany on a follow-on pact that would address Trump's three major complaints. Trump wants to penalize Iran for ballistic missiles, which weren't part of the original deal. He also wants to expand access for international nuclear inspectors and prolong the limits on Iran's nuclear activity, currently scheduled to expire in several years.
Maas has said he was profoundly affected by the Holocaust, and his agenda included a meeting with Israeli Holocaust survivors and a visit to Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.
"As a German this was a very moving visit," he said, professing his opposition to anti-Semitism and praising the warm welcome he received. "I am moved as if I have received a gift that I do not deserve."
