German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Thursday that Germany would decide on its position regarding European Union sanctions against Israel before an EU meeting in Copenhagen in October, Reuters reported.
Speaking in Madrid alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Merz stated that Israel’s military response in Gaza was “not proportional to its stated goals,” but notably added that Germany “did not share the view that the actions amounted to genocide.”
He further clarified once again that Germany would not, at this time, be considering the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Merz’s comments come a day after the European Commission proposed suspending a trade arrangement with Israel, a measure that would affect roughly 5.8 billion euros of Israeli exports. However, the proposal currently lacks sufficient support among EU member states to pass.
Merz said on Thursday, “We will reach a final opinion of the German government on these questions, which now need to be answered at the European level, in the coming days.”
He added, “We will discuss these issues again next week at the federal cabinet level. I assume that we will then have a position at the informal council meeting on October 1 in Copenhagen that will also be supported by the entire German government.”