Germany rejects the use of terms such as "apartheid" in reference to Israel, a government spokesman said, Reuters reported.

"We reject expressions like apartheid or a one-sided focusing of criticism on Israel. That is not helpful to solving the conflict in the Middle East," government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told a regular government news conference.

Amnesty International has accused Israel of apartheid based on a policy of segregation, dispossession and exclusion of Palestinians, which it says amounts to crimes against humanity.