Netanyahu shortens Germany summit amid violence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to shorten an upcoming summit meeting between Israeli and German ministers following a week of terror attacks and violent clashes in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Netanyahu and several cabinet ministers were set to leave for Berlin Wednesday morning and return late Thursday night. Instead, they will spend just hours in the German capital, flying back to Israel on Wednesday evening.

Israeli officials confirmed that the trip was cut short due to the ongoing security situation in Israel. The Prime Minister’s office said Netanyahu felt it was important to be in the country at this challenging time.

Asked why the trip was not cancelled altogether, the officials responded that the summit was also important.

Netanyahu faced criticism earlier in the week for not returning to Israel from the United States immediately after Thursday’s terror attack in which Eitam and Naama Henkin were killed. The prime minister was on a six-day trip to the US, where he spoke at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. He returned to Israel on Sunday morning.

The summit, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is part of an annual “government-to-government” gathering of the two countries’ cabinets.