Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz departs this weekend for Aqaba to meet King Abdullah II before heading to Jerusalem for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a visit to Yad Vashem.
- The government says the relationship with Israel remains close but that Merz will insist on compliance with international law, condemn rising settler violence, and reject any steps toward West Bank annexation.
- The Greens urge Merz to push for a two‑state outcome and address a fragile Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian needs highlighted by recent violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- Die Linke leader Jan van Aken and Amnesty International denounce the planned meeting, citing what they describe as an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and calling for clear condemnation of alleged war crimes and a comprehensive arms embargo.
- Debate intensifies after reports that Germany’s partial arms embargo on Israel was lifted last week, while former Israeli ambassador Schimon Stein urges German entry bans on ministers Itamar Ben‑Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.