"Our friendship with Israel will never be taken for granted. We will always remember our past when we meet in the present and talk about the future," said Federal Chancellor Merz on his inaugural visit to Israel. See the journey in pictures here.
Tel Aviv, 6 December 2025: Federal Chancellor Merz started his trip to Israel on Saturday evening. He is welcomed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv by the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.
Jerusalem, 6 December 2025: The Federal Chancellor then met Israel's President Isaac Herzog and signed the guest book.
Yad Vashem, 7 December 2025: On Sunday morning, Federal Chancellor Merz visited Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Here there is a palpable sense of the lasting historical responsibility that Germany bears, said the Federal Chancellor.
Yad Vashem, 7 December 2025: In a memorial ceremony, Federal Chancellor Merz laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance and commemorated "the 6 million men, women and children from all over Europe who were murdered by Germany because they were Jews".
Jerusalem, 7 December 2025: In a one-on-one meeting with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Federal Chancellor spoke about Germany's enduring responsibility and the implementation of the peace plan for Gaza, among other things.
Jerusalem, 7 December 2025: In the afternoon, the Federal Chancellor met with surviving hostages and relatives of hostages who had died following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.