German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has sought to tone down previous comments about his country’s position on Palestinian statehood during a trip to the West Bank, saying Germany had no immediate plans to recognise a Palestinian state, Reuters reports.

Wadephul’s comment followed sharp criticism from Israeli officials over his earlier suggestion, before he left for the trip, that Germany could respond to any unilateral Israeli actions with recognition of a Palestinian state.

After meeting Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, foreign minister, and president yesterday, Wadephul explained that Germany did not plan to recognise a Palestinian state immediately, “as that is one of the final steps to be taken” as part of a two-state solution.

Wadephul’s attempt to clarify his remarks highlights Germany’s longstanding difficulty in taking a clear position on the issue, caught between growing international pressure to hold Israel accountable for its actions and Germany’s own post-Holocaust commitment to ensuring Israel’s security.