Netanyahu meets with German FM to mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Jerusalem and Berlin will continue to strengthen their alliance during a meeting with Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

“We’ve had excellent relations, we’ll continue them in this conversation,” says Netanyahu, alongside Wadephul ahead of the meeting, in a video shared by the PMO.

“We have a lot of common interests, a lot of common values, and a lot of common challenges…I will send my best regards to [new German Chancellor] Friedrich Merz and to your joint efforts to continue the Israel–Germany alliance,” he continues.

Wadephul replies that “It’s a privilege to be here on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries.”

In his first phone call to the premier since assuming office, Merz discussed Gaza and regional issues with Netanyahu last Thursday, and also “reiterated that the existence and security of Israel are a part of German raison d’être,” according to a Berlin readout.

Senior PMO officials and the ambassadors of both countries were among the participants in today’s meeting, adds the PMO, without providing details on the content of the discussion.

Earlier today, Wadephul toured the Defense Ministry and Yad Vashem Holocaust museum with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said he was invited to visit his counterpart in Berlin, and “will have the honor of visiting Germany very soon, hopefully in the beginning of June.”