The continuing violence between the Palestinians and Israelis makes any talks between the two sides impossible, Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami has told the German weekly magazine Focus.
Ben Ami also launched a fierce attack on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, accusing him of cynically exploiting the deaths of Palestinian teenagers killed in the violence.
He told the magazine in its edition due out Monday: "The two sides know that it would be illogical to negotiate as long as the violence increases.
"If Berlin was under fire, one would not negotiate either," he added.
Ben Ami accused the Palestinians of making cynical use of their children. "Arafat acts with the blood of his people. It's sad, but I'm not sure that the number of deaths means anything to him."
A number of teenagers have died during the recent violence, shot by Israeli soldiers while stoning their positions.
On September 30, Mohammed al-Durra, 12, became a martyr for the Palestinian cause when television cameras filmed him dying in the arms of his father, shot by the Israeli army after being caught in the crossfire of a gun battle.
For Ben Ami, Arafat had accepted that Palestinian losses were a possibility on the route to international recognition.
Ben Ami welcomed Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Middle East tour, which begins in Egypt on Saturday.
"The measured influence of Germany on the neighboring states can be very important," he said.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is due to arrive in Cairo Saturday for talks with President Hosni Mubarak at the start of a six-stage tour of the Middle East – BERLIN (AFP)
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