German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left) in Ramallah with Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. (WAFA photo/Maan Khalifeh)

RAMALLAH, April 25, 2017 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah Tuesday urged Germany and the international community to recognize the state of Palestine on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, which he said should contribute to a final peaceful settlement with Israel.

He also called on it to support the demands of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who have been on an open-ended hunger strike for nine days demanding improvement on their conditions and treatment.

“We hold on to the two-state solution to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state,” Hamdallah said at a press conference in Ramallah with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel.

“We call for recognition of the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital because this will strengthen peace efforts and sends a message that Palestine is a fact,” he said.

He said that the alternative to two states, Palestine and Israel, is a segregated one state with a system of apartheid.

Hamdallah expressed hope that the upcoming meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and his US counterpart Donald Trump planned for May 3 in Washington will “succeed in achieving peace.”

However, he added, Israeli settlement construction, in addition to being a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions particularly Security Council resolution 2334, will destroy the two-state solution and undermine chances of peace.

Gabriel, on the other hand, said the two-state solution is the best way to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

He said he hopes the US will work toward implementing this solution, adding that helping the Palestinians develop economically will foster peace efforts and be in Israel’s best interest because it will be good for Israel if the Palestinians live in a developed society.

He said Germany, which has helped the Palestinians build their institutions and develop their economy in preparation to having their own independent state, will continue to work with them through their joint ministerial committee.

He said his country will continue to help develop the Gaza Strip to improve living conditions there.

Gabriel said it will also be best for the Palestinians to reunite their ranks and talk as one people.

“It is essential for the legitimacy of the Palestinian representation to have one legitimate representative,” he said, adding, “absence of elections and a parliament undermines representation in front of others.”

M.K.