Correspondent in Berlin
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Whether it's an immediate ceasefire or a long pause: this is not a fair demand," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a meeting in Heilbronn on Sunday evening, cutting short the proposal put forward late last week by his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
Since the beginning of the conflict, German diplomacy has been striving to implement its concept, forged in 1949 in the aftermath of the Nazi defeat, according to which "Israel's security is (its) raison d'état." A ceasefire would allow Hamas "to recover and acquire new rockets," the chancellor said, broadly endorsing the arguments of Israel and Washington. The statement illustrates the differences between the two main European chancelleries on the Middle East conflict, even though Berlin is trying to adapt its message to a very volatile situation.
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