Germany’s Merkel to visit Israel next month — report

14 July 2021, 3:36 pm

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a farewell visit to Israel next month, after responding to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s invitation, Channel 12 news reports.

This will be Merkel’s first visit to Israel since 2018, and she is expected to meet with President Isaac Herzog as well as Bennett.

Merkel, who steps down as chancellor in September after nearly 16 years in the job, congratulated Bennett the night he was sworn in as prime minister.

“Germany and Israel are connected by a unique friendship that we want to strengthen further. With this in mind, I look forward to working closely with you,” Merkel said in a message addressed to Bennett and shared by her spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Twitter.