German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took issue with words used by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas following talks in Berlin on Tuesday.

In a joint press conference, Abbas described the way Palestinians are treated by the Israeli government as "apartheid," prompting Scholz to immediately distance himself from the comments.

"Of course, regarding the Israeli politics we have a different assessment. I want to say clearly that I won't use the word 'apartheid' and I don't believe it is right to use the term to describe the situation," Scholz said.

Although Germany has voiced support in the past for eventual Palestinian statehood under what is called the two-state solution, Scholz told reporters that it was "not the time to change the situation," that is, for Berlin to formally recognize Palestine as an independent country.

Scholz also appeared to bristle as Abbas' use of the word "Holocaust" to describe the killings of civilians, restrictions on the rights of Palestinians, and Israeli settlement in Palestinian land, the latter of which is considered a violation of international law by Germany and many other countries.

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