Germany German Chancellor to travel to Israel before the end of the year
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make his inaugural visit to Israel before the end of the year.
24.11.2025, 14:53
SDA
As usual, the exact date will be announced in the week before the visit, a government spokesperson told the news agency DPA. The "Times of Israel" had previously reported that the trip was planned for December 6 and 7. The newspaper reported, citing diplomatic circles, that Merz would also meet Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The inaugural visit comes comparatively late. Merz has been in office for around seven months. His predecessor Olaf Scholz traveled there after just three months. The delay is due to the fact that a visit was considered unthinkable for a long time because of the war in Gaza. However, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has now been in place for a month and a half. However, apart from US President Donald Trump, no other head of state or government has visited Israel for a long time.
Restrictions on arms exports lifted
Just a few days ago, the German government lifted the restriction on arms exports to Israel due to the Gaza war after three and a half months. The decision comes into force today. Berlin is thus generally returning to a case-by-case examination. Israel's government had expressed relief at this step.
The partial embargo had severely strained German-Israeli relations. On 8 August, Merz had ordered that no more exports of armaments to Israel that could be used in the Gaza war would be approved for the time being. He was reacting to the increasingly aggressive actions of the Israeli armed forces.
