Ramallah, February 13 2025
The German Parliamentary State Secretary Niels Annen is currently visiting Palestine. He had high-ranking discussions with the PA on the situation in Gaza and informed himself directly during a visit in Nablus about the challenging situation in the West Bank. During his stay, an agreement was signed contributing 10 million Euro to support Palestinian small and medium enterprises through the European Palestinian Credit Guarantee Foundation.

Talking to Prime Minister Mustafa State Secretary Annen expressed his support for the PA’s plans on recovery and reconstruction in Gaza. Annen voiced his compassion for the families in Gaza who have lost relatives and homes. He emphasized that governance in Gaza should be a Palestinian-led process. Thanking those working on the ground to improve the situation Annen underscored Germany’s support for their work. Germany contributed 302 million EUR to humanitarian assistance in Gaza since October 7.

Against the backdrop of recent proposals on the future of Gaza, the Parliamentary State Secretary said, underlining the German position: „Gaza is and will remain Palestinian. It is an indispensable part of a future Palestinian state. Decisions on Gaza can only be Palestinian decisions.“

Annen repeated this position also in talks with government representatives from Egypt and Jordan residing in Palestine.

In his discussions with Minister of Planning Wael Zaqoud, Annen voiced serious concerns about the situation in the West Bank. He expressed deep sorrow about the displacement of Palestinian refugees in the North and highlighted the necessity to socially and economically stabilize the West Bank. During his visit he attended the signing ceremony for an additional German contribution of 10 million Euro to the European Palestinian Credit Guarantee Foundation (EPCGF). According to the German Development Bank KfW around 1,400 businesses will benefit from that investment. This will contribute to the retention and creation of approximately 10,500 jobs over the next four years. In total, Germany and the EU have contributed 50 million Euro to EPCGF.

During a visit to a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Nablus West, Niels Annen observed the grave consequences of an illegal settlement on the site. 300 farmers and their families can hardly access their lands anymore. A highly modern facility expected to serve these farmers as a reliable source of treated wastewater for irrigation cannot be used. In a meeting with Dr. Zahra Wawi, Deputy Mayor of Nablus, and Iyad Khalaf, Deputy Mayor for Technical Affairs, deputy mayor of Nablus, Annen emphasized his expectation that Israeli authorities would remove the unauthorized settlers. He underlined that the current situation was unbearable to the affected farmers as well as to the German government, which has invested 12 million EUR for the reuse project and 52 million EUR for the treatment project.