German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday warned Israel that annexation moves in the West Bank would be a “big mistake,” signaling growing concern in Berlin over developments in the territory.
Speaking alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Berlin, Merz said “annexation measures being discussed in Jerusalem would make the two-state solution even more difficult.” Germany is urging Israel to refrain from such steps, he added, calling them a “big mistake.” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also traveled to Israel to convey Berlin’s position directly.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967, and has maintained effective control over it since. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live there today among roughly 3 million Palestinians. Israeli settlements and aspects of Israel’s control of the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, a point reiterated by several European governments last week.
Merz has often walked a diplomatic tightrope when it comes to Israel. Germany traditionally treats Israel’s security as part of its Staatsräson — fundamental to the former’s core interests and identity — a principle famously articulated by former Chancellor Angela Merkel that leaves German leaders little room to publicly challenge Israeli policy. Yet the war in Gaza has increasingly tested that consensus in Berlin.
In May 2025 Merz sharply criticized the scale of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, saying the level of harm to civilians “could no longer be justified” as part of its fight against Hamas. Three months later, his government halted approvals for German arms exports that could be used in Gaza — a move that drew backlash from his own conservative CDU/CSU bloc.
The approach marks a shift from his predecessor Olaf Scholz, who after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack leaned heavily on Germany’s historic responsibility toward Israel and typically voiced concerns about Gaza in cautious humanitarian terms.
Wadephul, who arrived in Israel Tuesday, echoed Merz’s tougher tone. Condemning recent attacks by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, he said: “The violence of radical settlers, which again led to Palestinian deaths just days ago, we clearly condemn.”
