The German government is reportedly preparing to endorse the New York Declaration, a document outlining a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. According to a report in the German newspaper “Welt” the endorsement was communicated to international partners last Saturday.
The New York Declaration, adopted in late July during an international conference chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, explicitly condemns the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,000 casualties, primarily civilians. It calls for the terrorist organization to lay down its arms. Article 39 of the declaration addresses the issue of refugees within the context of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, reiterating the principle of a “right of return.
This formulation has drawn concern from various Israeli political figures. They express apprehension that a broad interpretation of the “right of return” – encompassing Palestinian refugees displaced after 1948 and their descendants – could potentially legitimize the return of nearly six million Palestinians to Israel, leading to a shift in the country’s demographic composition.
The German Foreign Ministry, according to the report, maintains that the question of return should be resolved through direct negotiations between the conflict parties. This aligns with Germany’s long-held position, consistently advocated by successive governments, which has emphasized the pursuit of a two-state solution. Negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians in the past have occasionally explored the possibility of partial or symbolic returns of Palestinian refugees.