Overview
- Meeting President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu, Merz paired public support for Israel’s security with calls for renewed negotiations toward a two-state outcome.
- He cited the Gaza war as a dilemma for Berlin, referenced the temporary partial arms embargo imposed in August, and noted it was lifted at the end of November.
- Merz urged Israel to facilitate more humanitarian aid for Gaza, warned against any West Bank annexation steps, and stressed Israel must be measured against international law.
- He said Germany will not recognize a Palestinian state in the foreseeable future and declined to commit to inviting Netanjahu to Berlin, a question complicated by the ICC arrest warrant.
- The US-brokered truce’s first phase saw the return of all 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for about 2,000 prisoners, yet sporadic violence and unresolved plans for Hamas disarmament and Gaza governance cloud the next phase.