German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, shortly after declaring in a speech that Berlin must “stand with Israel” as part of a renewed “Western alliance.”
The call was “good and friendly” and focused on “diplomatic and regional issues,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
On Saturday, Merz referenced Israel in a speech to the Junge Union Deutschlands—the youth wing of his Christian Democratic Union party—in Rust, near Stuttgart in western Germany.
“The position of the Federal Republic of Germany must be clear, where we stand. In the Western alliance,” Merz said, before pausing. He then added, “At Israel’s side, dear friends. I have not forgotten that,” as thunderous applause resounded.
Successive German governments have described a commitment to Israel’s security as a core principle of their foreign policy, rooted in the legacy of the Nazi regime’s near annihilation of European Jewry. At the same time, Berlin has funneled millions of dollars to Palestinian and other organizations that critics say work to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and oppose Jewish statehood.
Germany’s government has adopted a friendlier posture toward Israel than many other European countries since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, which prompted an Israeli retaliation that evolved into a regional war.
In June, Merz said Israel was “doing the world’s dirty work” by striking in Iran and targeting its nuclear program.
However, two months later, Merz halted the export of “offensive” weapons to Israel after Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet approved expanding the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Merz argued that Jerusalem’s decision to intensify its military operations “makes it increasingly difficult” for Berlin to pursue its “highest priorities” of securing a ceasefire.
A U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas truce took effect on Oct. 10, and on Monday, a German government spokesman announced that Berlin would be lifting the arms embargo.
“The government welcomes the ceasefire in Gaza that came into effect on October 10 and which has stabilized in recent weeks,” said spokesman Stefan Kornelius, according to the local Deutsche Welle outlet.
“The government is returning to examining on a case-by-case basis the export of weapons and will react to further developments,” he added.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed Berlin’s decision to reverse course, calling on other countries “to adopt similar decision.”
