German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visit Israel this weekend for the first time since taking office—and there’ll be plenty to discuss. After all, for outside observers, Merz has been one of the more fascinating world leaders to watch interact with the Jewish state.
Why? Well, Berlin’s policy towards Israel has confused some, to say the least.
Days into Israel’s June war with Iran, Merz took many by surprise with his unequivocal support for the operation. “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,” he said.
But then, just two months later, Berlin announced a partial arms embargo on Israel due to the war in Gaza, only to announce in mid-November that it was lifting the embargo.