German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul
Germany lifts travel warning for parts of 'Israel'
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The German Foreign Ministry has lifted the travel warning it had previously issued for certain areas of 'Israel' following the outbreak of the 'Israeli' war on the Gaza Strip.
The decision comes in the context of ongoing peace efforts between 'Israelis' and Palestinians.
During a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, in Berlin on Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, “My confidence in the peace process has generally increased.”
Wadephul, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Party, had first announced the partial lifting of the warning last Saturday while visiting Tel Aviv, following a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
“We, along with experts at the Foreign Ministry, have developed a clear picture of the situation on the ground, and we see that conditions have stabilized noticeably,” Wadephul said on Tuesday.
He added that the partial lifting of the travel advisory would also help strengthen communications between 'Israel' and Germany.
After the outbreak of war in Gaza, the German Foreign Ministry had issued a travel warning for some areas of 'Israel', particularly regions near the Gaza Strip, known as the “Gaza envelope,” and had advised against travel to 'Israel' in general.
Under the new travel and safety guidelines, effective Tuesday, Berlin strongly recommends avoiding travel to areas near Gaza or northern 'Israel' and advises against nonessential trips to other parts of the country, including East Jerusalem, noting that 'Israel' is still officially in a state of war.
In mid-October, following a ceasefire in Gaza, the 'Israeli' government had called on Germany to lift the partial restrictions on arms exports and ease travel warnings for certain areas.
Earlier, on August 8, Chancellor Friedrich Merz had ordered a temporary halt to arms exports to 'Israel' that could be used in the Gaza conflict, responding to escalating 'Israeli' military actions in the besieged territory. The German government has not yet announced an official end to the export ban.
