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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought to repair relations with Israel when he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, after months of disagreements over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Merz has long been a strong defender of Israel, but he shifted his stance amid mounting international censure over civilian deaths and spreading famine during Israel’s war in Gaza. Earlier this year he paused exports of some weapons to Israel, straining relations with Netanyahu.
In a joint press conference in Jerusalem on Sunday, the chancellor reiterated Germany’s commitment to Israel’s “existence and security”. “This belongs to the unchanging essence of our relationship. This applies today, this applies tomorrow and it applies forever.”
However, he did not renew his invitation for Netanyahu to travel to Germany, saying that a visit was not currently “at issue”. In February Merz had told Netanyahu that he would be invited to Germany despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Netanyahu acknowledged that the threat of arrest still hung over him in various “well meaning countries”, and urged the ICC to “get rid of these ridiculous charges”.
Merz said in May that Israel’s military operations in Gaza could no longer be justified solely as a fight against Hamas terrorism. His move in August to halt exports of weapons that the Israeli army could use in the strip took his own party by surprise, and was seen as a historic departure from Germany’s postwar tradition of unwavering solidarity with Israel. Netanyahu at the time expressed his “disappointment”.
Berlin ended the temporary pause on weapons exports last month, saying the situation had “stabilised” following the peace deal brokered between Israel and Hamas by Donald Trump. The two-month truce has so far held, despite repeated violent clashes between the sides amid mutual recriminations over violations.
Merz said on Sunday that he decided to impose the controls in response to the “special circumstances” at that point in the conflict. “The circumstances have changed and therefore this decision no longer applies.”
Netanyahu on Sunday said he expected “to move into the second phase” of the agreement “shortly”, which could see a further withdrawal of Israeli forces out of Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament and the introduction of an international peacekeeping force and new governing structures into the war-torn enclave.
The Israeli leader again rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state and admitted that he and Merz “have a different point of view” on the issue. Germany supports a two-state solution but has insisted that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of the peace process.
Merz also reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to a two-state solution when he met the King of Jordan on Saturday, so that “Israelis, Palestinians and Arab neighbours can live together in security, peace and freedom”.
He conveyed the same message in a call with Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, urging the Palestinian Authority leader to “urgently tackle necessary reforms” in order to play a “constructive role in a post-conflict phase”.
Merz’s trip is the first visit by a European leader to Israel since the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect in early October. While his two predecessors Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel travelled to Israel within three months of taking office, it has taken seven months for Friedrich Merz to arrange his inaugural visit.
The trip comes after the arrival in Germany last week of the Israeli-built Arrow anti-ballistic missile defence system, in a $4.6bn deal considered the largest military export in Israeli history.
“Not only does Germany work in the defence of Israel but Israel . . . works for the defence of Germany. That is a historical change,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.