German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call Monday that the two-state solution is the only path to lasting peace in the Middle East.

The German Chancellor explained, according to a statement issued by his spokesman, “Only a two-state solution through negotiations opens the horizons for reaching a permanent solution to the conflict in the Middle East.” This should apply to Gaza and the West Bank.”

He called for “the Palestinian Authority, after undergoing reform to be given a central role,” according to the statement.

The Israeli government refuses to discuss a “two-state solution,” which raises the dissatisfaction of the international community. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to any “Palestinian sovereignty.”

He had stressed that “Israel must maintain security control” over Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Western diplomats are trying to promote a solution that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in separate sovereign states, a project whose prospects have been diminished by the war in Gaza.

During the call with Netanyahu, Shulz stressed “the urgent need to significantly improve humanitarian access to the residents of the Gaza Strip,” considering the situation “very worrying.”