Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a joint press conference in Jerusalem this afternoon (Sunday).
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Chancellor Meretz said at the start of the press conference: "I would like to thank Netanyahu for the hospitality and warm welcome. This is not my first visit here, but my first visit as Chancellor. I come as a friend of Israel who knows that the friendship between Germany and Israel is very precious and will never be a matter of course.".
""My visit is happening at a difficult time for the people of Israel. That's why I came later than I wanted to, and I want to say a few basic things: I started with a visit to Yad Vashem. The trauma of the Holocaust is part of Jewish identity and it remains a shaper of the identity of my country and must remain that way. The memory is always kept alive and the monstrous crime that Germans committed against the Jewish people is remembered. Germany's responsibility at Yad Vashem becomes tangible. That's why Germany will always stand by Israel's security and its right to exist. This is the basis of relations today and forever.
""After the horrific terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, Germany stood by Israel. We mourned the dead together with Israel. Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens and its existence against those who deny the Jewish and democratic state and deny its right to exist. No country can accept that its citizens are murdered, kidnapped and tortured as happened in the kibbutzim by Islamic terrorism. That is why we stand by you, after others have turned their backs on you.".
Regarding the arms embargo imposed on Israel, Meretz said: "The actions of the Israeli government have caused a dilemma for us. Germany must also protect human rights and the rule of law, which are part of our constitution after the Holocaust. As a democratic state, Israel should have met the standards of international law in its military actions. We had to send a clear message. We had criticism in Germany of the Israeli government - this is essential - this is how it is between free societies. Relations can withstand criticism, but criticism should not be used as an excuse for anti-Semitism, and certainly not in Germany. I wish you, dear Bibi, that the decisions will contribute to peace and good neighborly relations. Germany will stand by your country in friendship, and I personally will.".
He added: "We are providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. We will help with reconstruction, and we will continue to be involved diplomatically. There can be no role for Hamas in Gaza. Hamas can no longer pose a threat to Israel. We need to look at the bigger picture - Israelis and Palestinians have suffered - we need to lay the foundations for a new order where everyone can live in peace, security and dignity.".
""The goal is to create a new Middle East that recognizes and accepts Israel as an integral part. A Palestinian state and a two-state solution can only be implemented through negotiations. Germany believes that recognition of a Palestinian state will come at the end of the process, not the beginning. We will assist the Palestinian Authority, although it can be criticized and I do that. We see steps towards reform and we need to provide it with assistance.".
Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to the stages of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza: "The first stage is almost over, we hope to soon move to the second stage, which is more difficult. The Arab world needs to pressure Hamas to disarm. There is a third stage, as I told the Chancellor - to prevent radicalization in Gaza.".
Netanyahu responded in a categorical negative to the question of whether he would be willing to retire from political life in exchange for a pardon granted to him by the president of the state.
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