German Chancellor Angela Merkel has canceled an annual meeting between the German and Israeli cabinets set to take place in Jerusalem on May 10, Haaretz newspaper reports, citing the newly passed law legalizing settlement outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak at a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on February 16, 2016 after a joint cabinet meeting. (AFP /Odd Andersen)
According to Haaretz, Merkel’s official excuse was the upcoming elections for chancellor in September, but German and Israeli officials both say the primary reason for the decision was the German leader’s “dissatisfaction” at the passage of the controversial legislation.
The paper quotes an unnamed Israeli official as saying that he heard from senior German sources in the foreign ministry and Merkel’s office that the step was one of a series of public and backdoor measures intended to express Berlin’s displeasure over the law.
The annual summit, which was created to showcase the close ties between Israel and Germany, takes place in Berlin and Jerusalem on alternate years.
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