Germany's top diplomat to attend two-state conference in New York

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul plans to attend a Palestine conference on the eve of the UN General Assembly next week, as Berlin seeks to make clear to the Israeli government that it is not happy with its actions in the Palestinian Territories.

The conference on September 22 co-organized by France aims to boost support for a two-state solution as Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continue unabated almost two years since the October 7 attacks.

A number of countries including France, Belgium and Canada have announced they plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the meeting in New York, held one day before the UN General Assembly begins.

Addressing press in Berlin on Tuesday, Wadephul said he intends to attend the meeting in person in a signal to Israel over its actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

"We maintain our position that a Palestinian state should not be recognised at this time, but that a two-state solution must be possible," Wadephul, speaking alongside his Swedish counterpart Maria Malmer Stenergard, said.

While Germany remains firmly on Israel's side, participation in the conference is intended to demonstrate to the government "that the way it is trying to solve the problem with [Palestinian extremist group] Hamas is currently not the right one from Germany's point of view," Wadephul said.

"We will continue to make this clear by all diplomatic means," he added.

The minister stressed Germany's special responsibility for Israel's security - a conviction that is rooted in the responsibility for the Holocaust.

Wadephul went on to say that while Israel's fight against Hamas was fundamentally justified, "we are looking closely at the means and costs involved in this fight."

He described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as unacceptable, adding that continued fighting with the aim of conquering Gaza City was the wrong approach.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas reject the two-state solution, which envisions an independent Palestinian state co-existing peacefully alongside Israel.