Merkel stresses 2-state solution in call with Netanyahu

By Ayhan Simsek</p> <p>BERLIN (AA) – Chancellor Angela Merkel has reaffirmed Germany’s commitment for a “two-state solution” in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.</p> <p>“The Chancellor has underlined the continuing importance of a two-state solution that can be achieved through negotiations between the two parties,” her spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.</p> <p>“This must remain the goal of international efforts,” he stressed.</p> <p>Merkel’s strong remarks in favor of a two-state solution came amid media reports that claimed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan was likely to stop short of a full Palestinian statehood.</p> <p>Washington Post reported on Sunday that Trump’s plan was expected to suggest a Palestinian “autonomy” rather than “sovereignty.”</p> <p>On Monday, former European politicians slammed Trump for pursuing a “one-sided’ policy in the Israel-Palestine conflict.</p> <p>“Europe should reject any plan that does not create a Palestinian state alongside Israel with Jerusalem as the capital for both countries,” they said in a letter sent to the EU and European governments as well as British newspaper The Guardian.</p> <p>The letter was signed by more than 30 former foreign ministers and prime ministers.