Overview

• Friedrich Merz acknowledged clear differences with Pedro Sánchez on Gaza, rejected using the term genocide and said recognition of a Palestinian state is not on Germany’s agenda.
• Merz said the cabinet will decide Germany’s position next week, aiming to present a unified government line at the Oct. 1 informal EU meeting in Copenhagen ahead of leaders’ talks in early October.
• Ursula von der Leyen’s plan details suspending Israeli trade preferences that cover about 37 percent of exports to the EU and imposing targeted measures on extremist ministers and violent settlers.
• Sánchez backs the EU package and has already moved nationally with a full arms embargo, entry bans tied to alleged atrocities, support for excluding Israeli participants from some cultural and sports events, and Spain’s earlier move to join the ICJ case.
• Passage of EU measures requires a qualified majority in which Germany’s vote is pivotal, and Berlin’s coalition is split over trade sanctions though there is some openness to personal listings.