Germany’s Merz to visit Israel, meet Netanyahu

By Reuters 28 November 2025, 3:19 pm

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L: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations event in Jerusalem, on February 16, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) R: Leader and top candidate for chancellor of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz addresses a press conference following a CDU party leadership meeting at the party's headquarters, the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, in Berlin, on February 24, 2025, (Ina Fassbender/AFP)

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Israel on December 6 and 7 for his first official visit since taking office, a German government spokesperson says.

Merz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 7 to discuss bilateral relations, the ceasefire in Gaza and other international issues. He will also visit the Yad Vashem memorial and hold talks with local representatives from civil society, the spokesperson adds during a regular government press conference.

Germany has long been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters, but has also criticized Netanyahu’s government over its strategy in the devastating Gaza war.

This month, the German government moved to resume weapons sales to Israel that had been suspended since August over the war, but said the decision is subject to the observance of the ceasefire and the large-scale provision of humanitarian aid.