Reem Alabali Radovan, the German development minister, has accused Israel of making a two‑state solution effectively impossible through unlawful actions in the West Bank. She told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” in its Saturday edition that while people in Gaza suffer, the Israeli government continues to create new fact‑situations in the occupied territory.
Alabali Radovan criticized Israel’s decision to allow settlers to purchase land in the occupied West Bank-an act she described as a de‑facto annexation that violates international law. She also warned that the E1 settlement project, currently being pushed forward, would split the West Bank into two parts, thereby erasing the territorial foundation needed for an independent Palestinian state under a two‑state framework.
The minister expressed doubt about the future of the Palestinian Authority, saying, “I don’t know whether the Palestinian Authority will even survive this year. It is financially drained and is losing its land”. She also highlighted that Israel is making the work of international aid organisations in the West Bank impossible; German‑supported NGOs have lost their permits. “Recently, a settler militia stormed a girls’ school funded with German development money during lessons and expelled the students” she recounted, adding that the situation is becoming increasingly intolerable.
When asked about reconstruction efforts in Gaza, Alabali Radovan reiterated that Germany will neither join the so‑called “Peace Council” of former U.S. President Donald Trump nor contribute any funds. She criticized the lack of clarity regarding how the money would be allocated if the council were to function.
The minister also dismissed Trump’s vision of a tourism oasis for Palestinians, stating that “hotel complexes are not what the Palestinians need right now”. Instead, she emphasized the urgent need for shelter, clearance of rubble, and the rebuilding of essential infrastructure. “The progress is painfully slow” she added. “The ‘Board of Peace’ provided no answers at its first meeting”.