Merz says supporting ‘Israel’ is “immutable core” of German policy

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in ‘Israel’ for his first official visit, reaffirming that unwavering support for the country remains the core principle of Germany's policy.
• The visit comes after Merz criticized ‘Israel's’ assault on Gaza and moved to briefly restrict arms sales, though he continues to state that ‘Israel’ has the right to defend itself.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz flew into ‘Israel’ Saturday for his first visit since taking office, and reaffirmed Berlin's support after traditionally solid ties between the countries were shaken by the Gaza war.

Merz landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport just before 8:00 pm and was met by ‘Israeli’ Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who called him "a friend of Israel". Germany, he added, was "an important partner".

Merz met ‘Israeli’ President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem later Saturday.

"I consider it a great honour and a truly great distinction to be here and to reaffirm that standing by this country is and will remain the unchanging core principle of the Federal Republic of Germany's policy," said Merz.

Hamas said Saturday it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority governing the territory, provided the ‘Israeli’ army's occupation ended.

"We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza," Hamas chief negotiator and its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya added in a statement.

But he rejected the deployment of any international force in the Strip whose mission would be to disarm it.

Ties shaken

In Jerusalem on Sunday, Merz is scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Given the dark legacy of Nazi Germany's industrial-scale murder of Jews, German leaders have long seen unflinching support for ‘Israel’ as a bedrock of the country's foreign policy.

But ‘Israeli’-German ties were shaken during the ‘Israeli’ assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Merz, who took power in May, has repeatedly criticised ‘Israel's’ relentless military campaign, which has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

In August, he also moved to restrict sales of weapons for use in Gaza.

Since a fragile US-backed ceasefire and captive deal ended full-scale fighting, Germany has lifted those export restrictions.

Despite the ceasefire, more than 350 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities.

"The actions of the Israeli army in Gaza have posed some dilemmas for us (and) we have responded to them," Merz said Saturday.

But, he added: "Israel has the right to defend itself."

Defence deals

Although Merz's public criticism of ‘Israel’ was unusual for a German leader, it was measured by international standards.

Merz recently offered ‘Israel’ full-throated support as European broadcasters considered whether to exclude the country from the annual Eurovision Song Contest, calling such a possibility "scandalous".

Thursday's decision to include ‘Israel’ in the upcoming Eurovision event was warmly welcomed in Berlin.

Nevertheless, German officials have said there are currently no plans to invite Netanyahu to Berlin.

The ‘Israeli’ leader faces an arrest warrant for war crimes in Gaza from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Earlier this year however, Merz vowed to invite the ‘Israeli’ leader and told him he would not be arrested.

Nor have any tensions disrupted key military ties. Germany last week put into operation the first phase of the ‘Israeli’-made Arrow missile defence shield.

The $4.5-billion deal was reportedly the largest arms export agreement in ‘Israeli’ history.

Before leaving Berlin on Saturday, Merz spoke with Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmud Abbas.

A spokesman said Merz underscored German support for a two-state solution but urged Abbas to push through "urgently necessary reforms" of the PA in order to play a "constructive role" in the postwar order.