Merz pushes PA’s Abbas on reforms ahead of Israel trip

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for reforms of the Palestinian Authority in a phone call with its leader Mahmoud Abbas ealier today, hours before taking off for Israel.

Speaking from Berlin, Merz urged Abbas to push through “urgently necessary reforms” at the Palestinian Authority so that the organization could “play a constructive role in a post-war order,” according to German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.

Merz also underscored German support for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and “welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s cooperative attitude” toward the deal in the call, the spokesman says.

The fragile ceasefire agreement to end the Gaza war is supposed to be just the first phase of the plan.

After a brief stop in Jordan, where Merz is scheduled to meet with the Jordanian King Abdullah II, Merz is expected to arrive in Jerusalem for meetings with top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Merz also plans to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Israel.

In his call with Abbas, Merz reiterated Germany’s position that a two-state solution remains the ultimate way to achieve peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, according to the spokesman.

Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials have repeatedly rejected the prospect of an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas has also explicitly ruled out a two-state solution.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.