German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that his country supported the two-state solution but saw no possibility of progress in the peace process without the US Administration. Maas said Germany was well-aware of the responsibility of the international community towards the Palestinian Cause, but underlined the key role the US can play in the peace process. “It’s difficult to advance the peace process in the absence of the US,” he said during a joint news conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Maliki in Ramallah on Monday, following his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “The German government has always been committed to a two-state solution, and that will not change,” he added. “But I realize that it hasnt gotten any easier.” He continued: “In this difficult situation, I want to encourage the people here not to tear down bridges.” Al-Maliki, for his part, said that the Palestinian president has emphasized, during his meeting with the German minister, the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to hold direct negotiations with Israel, but based on an international multilateral mechanism. “The president informed the German minister that there is no alternative to a two-state solution based on international legitimacy,” Maliki told the news conference. He stressed the importance of the German role in particular, and the European in general to achieve this goal. According to Maliki, Abbas informed Maas of recent developments that followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement to consider Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. “We no longer consider the American administration an acceptable mediator between us and the Israelis,” Maliki said, quoting Abbas. “We need an international conference that will result in an international multilateral group committed to the international legitimacy that will sponsor the political process,” he added.