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Germany’s Scholz Criticizes Israel’s Settlements in Occupied West Bank

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz waits for the arrival of the Turkish President at the Chancellery in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz waits for the arrival of the Turkish President at the Chancellery in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (AFP)
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Germany’s Scholz Criticizes Israel’s Settlements in Occupied West Bank

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz waits for the arrival of the Turkish President at the Chancellery in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz waits for the arrival of the Turkish President at the Chancellery in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Israel's settlement policy in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and repeated calls for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

"We don't want any new settlements in the West Bank, no violence by settlers against the Palestinians in the West Bank," Scholz said during a visit to Nuthetal in Brandenburg state.

The best outcome for Israelis and Palestinians remains the two-state solution, he said.

"If some in Israeli politics distance themselves from this, we will not support them," Scholz said.

Scholz also emphasized the importance of German humanitarian aid for the Palestinians.

Germany is not only on Israel's side, but together with the US, it is the largest donor of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, the chancellor said.

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No Repeat of Jerusalem Incident Will Be Accepted, France Says

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot poses for photographers overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, right, from the Mount of Olives during his visit to Jerusalem, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot poses for photographers overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, right, from the Mount of Olives during his visit to Jerusalem, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
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No Repeat of Jerusalem Incident Will Be Accepted, France Says

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot poses for photographers overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, right, from the Mount of Olives during his visit to Jerusalem, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot poses for photographers overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, right, from the Mount of Olives during his visit to Jerusalem, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)

A repeat of an incident in Jerusalem that saw armed Israeli security forces entering a property administered by France must never happen again, France's foreign minister said ahead of summoning Israel's envoy on Tuesday.

Two French security officials with diplomatic status were briefly detained on Nov. 7 after Jean-Noel Barrot was due to visit the compound of the Church of the Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives.

The site, one of four administered by France in Jerusalem, is under Paris' responsibility and it not the first time that problems have arisen over France's historic holdings in the Holy City.

"It is an opportunity for France to reiterate that it will not tolerate Israeli armed forces entering these areas, for which it (France) is responsible, for which it ensures protection," Barrot told France 24 television when asked what the ambassador would be told.

"And to strongly reaffirm that this incident must never happen again, meaning that Israeli forces enter armed and without authorization."

Israel's ambassador is due to meet Barrot's chief of staff at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Israel's foreign ministry has said that every visiting foreign leader is accompanied by its security personnel, a point that had been "clarified in advance in the preparatory dialogue with the French Embassy in Israel".

Diplomatic relations between France and Israel have worsened since President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza.

The French government also attempted to ban Israeli weapons' firms from exhibiting at a trade fair in Paris and has become increasingly uneasy over Israel's conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.