Spiegel: Merz’s planned Israel visit sparks criticism in Berlin, Brussels

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s planned trip to Israel in early December has stirred unease among some members of the Bundestag and the European Parliament, partly because he is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Despite a month-and-a-half-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, most Western leaders, with the exception of US President Donald Trump, have avoided visiting Israel in recent months. European tensions were already heightened in April, when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted Netanyahu in Budapest. A German government spokesperson said the exact date of Merz’s trip would be announced shortly before it takes place, Spiegal writes.

Hannah Neumann, foreign policy spokesperson for the Greens in the European Parliament, said the Chancellor should focus his visit on meeting actors who have long worked toward peace, reconciliation, and the defence of democracy and the rule of law in Israel, arguing that such groups represent Europe’s closest partners in terms of shared values.

Michael Gahler, a CDU member of the Bundestag and foreign policy spokesperson for the European People’s Party (EPP), told Spiegel that Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank was unacceptable and that radical settler violence must be halted.

He also said the Israeli government should release withheld customs revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority. Gahler added that he expected the Chancellor to convey the European position during the trip and to meet with Palestinian officials as well, arguing that any chance for German diplomacy to help improve the situation should be used.

Germany recently lifted restrictions on arms exports to Israel. Last week, pro-Palestinian activists spray-painted graffiti on the façade of the Chancellery in Berlin.

By Sabina Mammadli