By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday warned against turning the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis into a religious one.
Steinmeier said his country had backed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state so that this state and Israel could live side by side in an atmosphere of peace and security.
He added during a press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki, following a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah that the German government had followed with concern the violations that took place in the Palestinian territories in the past weeks.
He said both the Palestinians and the Israelis had to shoulder their own responsibilities so that they could get out of the current cycle of violence and avoid an escalation of this violence.
Steinmeier added that he was aware that the Palestinians had waited to establish their own state for long, noting that negotiation would be the only road the Palestinians and the Israelis could take to reach a peaceful settlement for their conflict.
Despite this, the German Foreign Minister lamented the absence of a common ground between the two sides for the resumption of their peace talks. He said it was necessary for tension to be calmed down first.
Al-Maliki, for his part, said that he briefed Steinmeier about developments in the Palestinian territories and what he described as the "dangerous" escalation" made by the Israeli government in occupied Jerusalem, especially in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Maliki said the Palestinians were for calm and preserving the post-1967 situation on the ground.
"Israel has to keep everything on the ground in Jerusalem as is if it really wants to calm tensions down," al-Maliki said in the press conference.
Steinmeier arrived in Ramallah earlier on Saturday from Jerusalem. He left Ramallah following the press conference to Jerusalem yet again. He is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
Palestinian-Israeli peace talks hit a snag earlier this year after Israel refused to release the prisoners despite earlier pledges to do so.
In response, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for membership in several United Nations agencies and treaties.
The Israeli government immediately took punitive measures against the Palestinians, including suspending the transfer of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority as agreed in the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Israel also suspended peace talks with the Palestinians after rival Hamas and Fatah signed a deal in April to heal their rifts after seven years of division.
www.aa.com.tr/en
