Merz criticizes Israel's new settlement project, E1, which covers about twelve square kilometers in the occupied West Bank.
“The German government strongly urges Israel to refrain from such measures,” he says, adding that implementing them would “make the two-state solution more difficult.”
Israel gave the green light to the project in August. The plan has been condemned by several international leaders, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres's spokesman has said the project would pose an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.
In December, Israel approved 19 settlements – a decision that, according to the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, was aimed at preventing the formation of a Palestinian state.
