From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
FM Sa’ar set for state visit to Germany tomorrow, as Berlin grows more critical of Gaza war
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will take off tomorrow for a state visit to Germany, his office announces.
Sa’ar will meet with Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who said last week that his country was “now at a point where we have to think very carefully about what further steps to take” regarding the war in Gaza. He also said that Germany would decide whether to approve new weapons shipments to Israel based on an assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz also changed his tone recently on the fighting, contending that Israel’s continued campaign no longer makes sense.
Sa’ar is also slated to meet Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Education Minister Karin Prien, as well as Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Armin Laschet.
Sa’ar and Wadephul will visit Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial together.
Wadephul was in Israel last month to mark 60 years of bilateral ties, where he said that the conflict in Gaza cannot be solved by military means and that a political solution must be found to end the war permanently.
Sa’ar will sit for interviews with German media, and will meet with local Jewish leaders.
The Times of Israel Community.