Germany has said that it has “no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term” after President Emmanuel Macron said that France is intending to make such a move in September, AFP reports.

“The government continues to regard the recognition of a Palestinian state as one of the final steps on the path to achieving a two-state solution,” spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement, adding that “Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government”.