Overview
- Friedrich Merz met Benjamin Netanjahu in Jerusalem, visited Yad Vashem and framed Germany’s role as guaranteeing Israel’s existence and security.
- Merz reaffirmed support for a two‑state solution and warned against any annexation steps in the West Bank, while Netanjahu rejected a Palestinian state and defended Israel’s Gaza conduct.
- After a partial halt in August, Berlin lifted restrictions on arms exports following October’s ceasefire, with defense ties highlighted by Germany’s Arrow 3 deployment.
- Merz said a Netanjahu trip to Berlin was not discussed, a sensitive point as the Israeli leader remains subject to an ICC arrest warrant.
- At home, the Chancellery confirmed over 140 police and prosecutorial contacts about online insults since May, the BKA logged 5,155 §188 StGB reports in nine months—92% routed via “Hessen gegen Hetze”—and several cases, including against activist Tadzio Müller, were dropped as protected speech amid a disclosure lawsuit by Der Tagesspiegel.