(1 Aug 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taybeh, West Bank – 1 August 2025
1. Wide of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul talking to officials during visit to West Bank
2. Wide of Wadephul approaching media
3. SOUNDBITE (German) Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister:
“I would like to state very clearly here: such acts are crimes. They are terrorism and must finally be prosecuted by the police. Reports that members of the IDF stood by and watched or even supported these acts are appalling. As an occupying power and a constitutional state, Israel must enforce security and order and prosecute criminal offenses.”
4. Wadephul walking with delegation during visit
5. SOUNDBITE (German) Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister:
“I condemn all forms of settler violence, and we as the German government are advocating further sanctions against violent settlers at the European level.”
6. Wadephul with delegation during visit
7. SOUNDBITE (German) Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister:
"For us, it is clear that the illegal settlements have become a stumbling block for the two-state solution. We are particularly critical of settlement projects such as E1, which are specifically designed to fragment future Palestinian territory and restrict the freedom of movement of Palestinians. The position of the German government is clear and unchanged: the policy of settlement construction is contrary to international law."
8. Close of German flag
9. SOUNDBITE (German) Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister:
"We are not opposed to the early recognition of such a (Palestinian) state, as I clearly emphasized yesterday. That remains our position. But it is also clear that we equally clearly reject any fantasies of annexation, whether for Gaza or the West Bank, which are also being put forward by parts of the Israeli government. They would not be recognized by Germany."
10. Close of vehicle carrying Wadephul leaving
STORYLINE:
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited a Palestinian Christian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday where residents say Israeli settlers have intensified attacks in recent weeks, setting fire to an ancient church and torching two cars.
Wadephul condemned violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians, including attacks on homes, churches, and cemeteries.
He said the German government was "advocating further sanctions against violent settlers at the European level."
“Such acts are crimes,” Wadephul told reporters. “They are terrorism and must finally be prosecuted by the police.”
The latest settler violence centered on Taybeh, the only entirely Christian village in the Muslim-majority West Bank, near Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered.
Wadephul reiterated Germany’s position that Israeli settlements are a major obstacle to a two-state solution, adding that Germany is not opposed to recognizing a Palestinian state, as European partners, France and Britain, have announced they could do in recent days.
"We are not opposed to the early recognition of such a state,” Wadephul said.
“But it is also clear that we equally clearly reject any fantasies of annexation, whether for Gaza or the West Bank, which are also being put forward by parts of the Israeli government.”
The West Bank has seen a rise in settler violence since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel which left around 1,200 dead and saw 251 people taken hostage.
AP video shot by Imad Isseid
Production by Jalal Bwaitel
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