Germany always stands by Israel

Difficult inaugural visit

Merz: Germany always stands by Israel

It is one of his most important trips abroad to date, but also one of the most difficult. In Jerusalem, the Chancellor emphasized the unwavering solidarity with Israel, but also addressed the problems.

At the start of his first visit to Israel as Chancellor, Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Germany’s special responsibility for the Jewish state’s right to exist. “We will always stand by this country,” he said at a meeting with Israeli President Izchak Herzog in Jerusalem. “I know about the obligation that every Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany has in this country.”

For him personally, it remains a miracle that after the crimes of the Holocaust, the friendship between Germany and Israel has been able to be built and deepened to this day. German solidarity with Israel now applies in particular “after the terrible massacre” by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

But Merz also emphasized that he was coming to Israel at a time that “could hardly be more complicated.” The Israeli army’s actions in the Gaza war “presented Germany with a number of dilemmas.” They had reacted to this, he said, apparently also with a view to the temporary restriction on arms exports to Israel, which has since been withdrawn.

However, the Chancellor emphasized that “to date we have no fundamental differences whatsoever.” Israel has the right to defend itself; it was Hamas that started the war. If they lay down their weapons, the war will be over. “Then there is a future for the region, there is also a future for Gaza.”

He reiterated the goal of a two-state solution in the Middle East. This means that Israel and an independent Palestinian state exist peacefully side by side.

Israeli President Herzog expressed the hope that US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan would mean a new horizon for the people of Gaza and Israel, as well as for neighboring Arab states. Germany could play an important role in this.

Regarding the recent deployment of the Arrow 3 missile defense system in Germany, Herzog said: “The fact that Germany is being defended in Europe with an Israeli product is unique and very moving and important.”

Merz wrote in the guest book in the presidential office in Jerusalem: “The friendship between Germany and Israel is a great treasure.” Eight decades after the Shoah, it remains “our responsibility to strengthen the bond between our countries from generation to generation.” Merz further wrote: “Out of deep conviction, I am ready to do my part in this responsibility together with you.” He is “deeply grateful” for his close ties with President Herzog.