German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu in a phone call to end the fighting in south Lebanon. He encouraged direct peace talks with the Lebanese government and called on Hezbollah to lay down its arms. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul welcomed upcoming talks between Israel and Lebanon.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) called in a phone conversation with Benjamin Netanjahu for an end to the fighting in south Lebanon. Merz advocated "to end the combat operations in the south of Lebanon," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said. Hezbollah must lay down its weapons, and Netanjahu should engage in direct peace talks with the Lebanese government.
Merz also expressed great concern about developments in the Palestinian territories. There must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank, home to around three million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers in settlements illegal under international law.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) welcomed Tuesday's planned ambassador-level talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon, following a call with his Lebanese counterpart Jussef Raggi. They could be "an important first step into a future in which both are respected: Israel's legitimate security interests and Lebanon's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said. Hezbollah attacks on Israel must stop, and the Israeli army must protect civilians and infrastructure.
Germany provided an additional 45 million euros in humanitarian aid for displaced people in Lebanon. The Lebanese presidency seeks to negotiate a ceasefire with Hezbollah, while Israel demands its disarmament.
