Ahead of a high-level conference on the two-state solution hosted at the United Nations headquarters, German Green Party officials are urging Chancellor Friedrich Merz to take a more direct role in efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Green Party leader Franziska Brantner has called on Chancellor Merz to personally attend the New York conference and actively shape the political process, which has previously been initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia. She argued that the German government needs to proactively advance the two-state solution, rather than merely offering support.
The call emphasizes the need for increased pressure to be exerted on Hamas and its affiliates to relinquish power within the Gaza Strip and immediately release all hostages. Simultaneously, Brantner stressed the importance of compelling Israel to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza, citing concerns over the severity and nature of the actions occurring.
The conference, scheduled to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly, aims to reinvigorate efforts towards a peaceful resolution. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to formally announce the recognition of Palestine as a state, a move that has already been signaled by countries including Canada and Belgium, with the United Kingdom and Portugal having previously expressed intentions to do so.
Chancellor Merz has decided not to travel to New York this week, citing the need to address the 2026 budget in the German Bundestag and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will represent Germany at the United Nations in his place.
The initiative stems from a conference previously organized by France and Saudi Arabia in July aimed at generating momentum for peace in the Middle East. While Germany officially supports a two-state solution – the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a Palestinian state – it maintains that the recognition of Palestine should occur at the conclusion of a political process, a viewpoint largely shared within Germany and previously held by prior governing coalitions. Israel and the United States did not participate in the earlier conference.
