Overview
- At Yad Vashem, the chancellor said Germany must defend Israel’s existence and security, citing lasting historical responsibility.
- Merz sat down with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss moving to a second phase of the truce outlined in President Donald Trump’s plan.
- Berlin lifted a partial suspension of arms exports at the end of November and says the relationship remains intact and based on trust.
- Germany is deepening practical cooperation, including the German army’s first deployment of Israel’s Arrow missile defense system.
- The visit drew criticism because Netanyahu is under an ICC arrest warrant, prompting concerns about normalizing high-level contact.