Der Spiegel: Netanyahu-Merkel Relations Strained after UN Vote

Local Editor

Berlin, in the UN General Assembly vote on upgrading Palestine's status to "non-member state", abstained despite "Israeli" expectations of "a clear no" due to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's criticism of "Israel's" approach towards the Palestinian-"Israeli" peace process.

On Wednesday evening, Merkel's foreign policy adviser told his "Israeli" counterpart that Germany would abstain in the vote at the United Nations General Assembly to grant the Palestinians the status of a "non-member observer state," reported the German Newspaper Der Spiegel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government had been expecting Berlin to show its usual support for "Israel" by voting "no." However, Germany's stance on this issue, as the newspaper wrote, shows just how deeply frustrated its government is with the Netanyahu government's policies.
The newspaper saw that Germany's abstention "weighed particularly heavy because it meant that Canada and the United States were the only major Western nations to vote on "Israel's" side."

Netanyahu and several of his ministers will travel to Berlin on Thursday to discuss several matters, including regional security issues and economic ties, with their German counterparts, however tense relations between "Israel" and Germany poses questions on the productivity of this meeting.

"Merkel is upset because she believes that Netanyahu isn't doing anything to move forward the peace process with the Palestinians," Der Spiegel indicated, underscoring that "Netanyahu, in turn, thinks that Merkel doesn't sufficiently understand the complicated situation his government is in."

When a series of EU member states were to support the Palestinians' bid for observer-state status, the "Israelis" asked Germany to pressure all of its fellow EU states into abstention. Up until that point, Netanyahu had pressured Merkel's government to gather as many "no" votes as possible within the EU.
From the "Israeli" perspective, the newspaper mentioned, Berlin would simply vote "no." However German officials had a somewhat different view; Merkel was irritated that "Israeli" treated Germany's vote like a "bargaining chip".

Nevertheless, Germany will continue to firmly side with "Israel" in the conflict over Iran's nuclear ambitions, Der Spiegel indicated, highlighting that, "Chancellery officials hope that the shock of Germany's abstention in the UN vote will prompt Netanyahu to think things over."

"Perhaps now he will find himself more willing to give a signal to the Palestinians," a member of Merkel's administration stated, though he deliberated that odds did not seem to be in that favor.

Source: Der Spiegel, edited by moqawama.org