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Germany warns against new wave of Middle East violence

April 25, 2017 at 12:50 pm

Image of German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin, Germany on 8 March, 2017 [Ayhan Şimşek/Anadolu Agency]

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned that a new wave of violence might erupt in the Middle East unless the Israeli and Palestinian sides return to the peace process soon.

Gabriel is on a three-day visit to the Middle East, starting with Amman, Jordan, on Sunday. He arrived in Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday.

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“Waiting too long will open up a new field of play to the terror organisations of this world,” he was quoted by Deutsche Welle as saying in Amman.

If we neglect this conflict, it could cause a new series of violence in the region of a kind we have not yet seen in the past few years.

Gabriel also noted that conflict should become central to international politics once again, and it should not be dealt with as “secondary” in the war against terror, adding that Germany can play an “active role” in resolving conflict, although he pointed to the key role played by the United States in this regard.

His visit to Israel has been met with controversy as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to cancel a meeting between the two officials if Gabriel meetings with human rights groups including Breaking the Silence during his trip. Gabriel said this was “regrettable”.