Germany-Israel divide deepens after Merz criticism
Key takeaways
- The Israeli finance minister's sharp criticism of the German chancellor's views on Israel's settlement policy is just the latest sign of a growing estrangement.
- Afterward, Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius sent out a press release about the call.
- On the platform X, the chancellor's account shared the same message in both a German and an English post: "I made it clear: There must be no de facto annexation of the West Bank."
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The Israeli finance minister's sharp criticism of the German chancellor's views on Israel's settlement policy is just the latest sign of a growing estrangement. What's the current state of German-Israeli relations?
https://p.dw.com/p/5CGmq After a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Merz spoke out against the 'de facto annexation of the West Bank' by Israel [FILE: December 12, 2025]Image: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Earlier this week, when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it seemed like a routine exchange between world leaders.
Afterward, Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius sent out a press release about the call. The final two sentences read: "In the conversation, the chancellor expressed his deep concern about developments in the Palestinian territories. There must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank."