Germany's Merz makes first visit to Israel as chancellor despite left-wing criticism

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz heads to Israel on Saturday for the first visit by a European leader to the country in over a year.

Merz, after stopping in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, is set to fly on to Israel in the evening before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday.

The German leader is also expected to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Merz's visit has been criticised by the German left, who called meeting with Netanyahu - who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza - a "declaration of war on international law".

Given the dark legacy of Nazi Germany's industrial-scale murder of Jews, German leaders have long seen unflinching support for Israel as a bedrock of the country's foreign policy, despite Israel's war in the Gaza Strip and occupation of the West Bank - which have been condemned internationally. 

Merz, who took power in May this year, occasionally criticised Israel's relentless military campaign, which has killed mor than 70,000 Palestinians in acts labelled as genocide.

Despite the ceasefire deal in Gaza on 10 October, more than 350 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities, as well as three Israeli soldiers.

In August, he also moved to restrict sales of weapons for use in Gaza. Though Berlin has since reversed the move, and resumed arms sales to Tel Aviv.

Before leaving Berlin on Saturday morning, Merz spoke with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.

A spokesman said Merz underscored German support for a two-state solution but urged Abbas to push through "urgently necessary reforms" of the PA in order to play a "constructive role" in the postwar order.

'Signal of support'

After the recent strains, Israel expects a "signal of continued support" from Merz, said Michael Rimmel, head of the Jerusalem office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, affiliated with Merz's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

German-Israeli relations have been strained over the past two years but remain "better than many people think", Rimmel told AFP.

But he said Berlin has little discernible influence on Netanyahu's government, which has pushed on with West Bank settlements despite protests from Berlin and elsewhere, and dismissed calls for a two-state solution.

"Certainly, President Trump and the Americans have greater influence," said Rimmel, noting that the US president was able to pressure Netanyahu into the Gaza ceasefire.

Gil Shohat, head of the Tel Aviv office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which is affiliated with Germany's left-wing Die Linke party, also sharply criticised Merz for making the trip.

Shohat argued that Merz is effectively offering political support to Netanyahu and Israel's far-right government.

"Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal and is under suspicion of corruption," said Shohat. "Going there now and legitimising him is a fatal sign of normalisation in a situation that must not be normalised."

Defence deals

Although Merz's public criticism of Israel was unusual for a German leader, it was measured by international standards.

Merz recently offered Israel full-throated support as European broadcasters weighed whether to exclude the country from the annual Eurovision Song Contest, calling such a possibility "scandalous".

The decision to include Israel in the upcoming Eurovision event, reached on Thursday, was warmly welcomed in Berlin even as it prompted boycotts from Spain, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

Still, despite the close ties, German officials have said there are currently no plans to invite Netanyahu to Berlin.

Merz, not long after his party's election victory in February, vowed to invite the Israeli leader and told him in a phone call that he would not be arrested.

Any tensions in German-Israeli relations have also not disrupted key military ties. Germany last week put into operation the first phase of the Israeli-made Arrow missile defence shield.

The $4.5 billion deal was reportedly the largest arms export agreement in Israeli history, and Berlin has also turned to Israeli firms for help in drone defence.