Netanyahu's office: There is no Israel-Germany diplomatic crisis

[Jefferson23]

Comments come following Haaretz report that Merkel had reprimanded Netanyahu for new construction in contested Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo.

By Barak Ravid

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday denied that a diplomatic crisis has erupted between Israel and Germany over Israel's approval last week of new construction in Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line. Instead the PM's staff blamed the Israeli media for misrepresenting the facts of the affair.

Haaretz reported Friday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had berated Netanyahu over the approval of 1,100 housing units in the contested Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, just several days after the Mideast Quartet of peacemakers had presented its plan for renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

"Our ties with the German government and Chancellor Merkel are good and close," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "When we have disagreements they are resolved in good spirits."

snip* At Netanyahu's request, Merkel had also put massive pressure on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept the Quartet's initiative to renew talks immediately, the Israeli official said. He said that Germany may now reconsider and support upgrading the PA status to that of a non-member state in the UN General Assembly.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-s-office-there-is-no-israel-germany-diplomatic-crisis-1.387635