Merz to visit Israel for 1st time as German chancellor, will meet PM and visit Yad Vashem

German chancellor to discuss ceasefire, bilateral ties at meeting with Netanyahu next month; will be first elected leader of a major European country to visit Israel in over a year

By Agencies 28 November 2025, 6:35 pm

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers the opening speech at an economic summit hosted by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, November 17, 2025. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Israel in December for his first official visit since taking office, a German government spokesperson confirmed on Friday.

Merz is scheduled to arrive in Israel on December 6, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 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 society, the spokesperson added during a regular government press conference.

“In addition to bilateral relations, the continued stabilization of the Gaza ceasefire and other international issues will be at the center of discussions,” said deputy spokesperson Steffen Meyer.

The upcoming visit was first reported Sunday.

Merz, who was elected in May, will be the first elected leader of a major European country to visit Israel in over a year.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets Germany’s then-opposition leader, now Chancellor Friedrich Merz, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, February 12, 2024. (Kobi Gideon / GPO)

The announcement came days after the German government moved to resume weapons sales to Israel that it had been suspended since August over the war in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar lauded the move, which Germany stressed is subject to the observance of the ceasefire and the large-scale provision of humanitarian aid.

Germany has long been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters and is its second-largest arms exporter, but has also criticized Netanyahu’s government over its strategy in the devastating Gaza war.

Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Amid hiking domestic and international pressure, Merz has taken a harsher tone than his predecessors in critiquing Israeli policy since taking office.

Germany, France, Italy and the UK on Thursday demanded an end to what they called increasing “settler violence against Palestinian civilians” in the West Bank, a day after Israel’s military launched a new operation against Palestinian terror groups there.

When asked about a possible visit to Germany by Netanyahu, who faces an ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, Meyer said it was “not a topic at the moment.”