Itongadol.- A boycott against Israel is not an option but it is acceptable to label products produced in West Bank settlements, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday in Jerusalem.
“We do not support the demands for a boycott. This is not an option for Germany. We have certain rules of labeling and we have to adhere to those rules, but we do not believe in boycotts,” she said.
Merkel also supported Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state as a critical component of a two state solution.
She said that she could not judge what should and should not be in the framework agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry was working out between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
But, Merkel said, she could comment on what the end results should be.
“Once an agreement is reached, mutual recognition would have to take place,” she said adding that it was a “pre-condition” for a final status agreement.
It was also important, she said, that such an agreement would take into account Israel’s security needs, particularly given the constant physical threat to its existence.
“Security is of the essence,” she said.
With respect to the Palestinians, she said, “territorial integrity is also of the essence. So the settlement issue fills us with concern.”
But, she added, "on this Israel agrees to disagree. Here that is something we hopefully can overcome.”
She spoke during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers from both the Israeli and German governments, during which the two spoke about the peace process in advance of the anticipated publication of Kerry’s framework document for negotiations by the end of April.
Netanyahu said that boycotts against Israel were immoral and harmful to the peace process.
“Boycott is not a moral or productive way to move peace forward. It pushes it back,” said Netanyahu. “It strengthens Palestinians intransigence and does not help the Palestinian economy,” he added.
Netanyahu told Merkel, “I hope that others in Europe follow your lead in rejecting boycotts."
“There can be criticism of Israel that is legitimate," he continued. "But it’s hard not to notice the fact that those who call for boycott’s of Israel are not calling for the boycott of any other country.”
Israel, he said, supports the peace process and recognizes the rights of Palestinians to have a state. But there should be reciprocity on this point, he added.
“The Palestinians who asked us to recognize a Palestinian state have to reciprocate by recognizing a Jewish state,” he said.
“The conflict can’t end without the Palestinians giving up all national claims to the Jewish state,” he said.
An agreement for a two-state solution would also have to recognize Israel’s security needs, he said.
“Peace must be based on iron clad security arrangements,” he said. “We hope [Palestinian Authority Mahmoud] Abbas is willing to end the conflict. This will be seen in the coming weeks and months.”