Friedrich Merz

Erdogan, Sharaa discuss Syria as SDF confirms withdrawal following ceasefire

Turkey’s President Erdogan spoke with Syrian President Sharaa after a deal with Kurdish forces, as SDF leader Mazloum Abdi confirmed a military withdrawal, and plans to visit Damascus.

|ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Bosch's facility in Bengaluru, India January 13, 2026.

Germany’s Merz: I believe we are witnessing final days, weeks of Iran’s regime

“If a regime can only cling to power through violence, then it's effectively over anyway,” Merz said.

|BySAM HALPERN, REUTERS
Eyal Zamir is seen signing a many-billion-euro deal with Germany to provide Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system, 2023 (as Defense Ministry director-general).

Israel and Germany's rekindled alliance presents a strategic opportunity - opinion

Over the decades, guilt, the driving force behind Germany’s attitude toward Israel, has been replaced by mutual interests and strategic partnership.

|ByLEV STESIN
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as they attend a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 18, 2025.

EU leaders agree on joint borrowing to fund Ukraine, set aside plan to use Russian frozen assets

The leaders also gave the European Commission a mandate to continue work on a so-called reparations loan based on Russian immobilized assets, but that option proved unworkable for now.

|ByREUTERS

Germany is '100% behind Israel,' minister vows at site of Iranian strike on Bat Yam

Dobrindt visited the site with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, where he said there is no justification for attacks on civilian populations.

JUNE 29, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar visit the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and caused damage in Bat Yam, central Israel. June 29, 2025.

Israel does the dirty work – and Europe fires back with sanctions - opinion

While Israel is fighting a war for its survival, Europe is distracting it on two levels - on the leadership level and on the people's level.

JUNE 24, 2025ByGOL KALEV
ON DAY ONE, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled Israel’s operation in Iran ‘concerning,’ characterized it as an escalation, and urged ‘all parties to step back and reduce tensions,’ the writer notes.

Germany's Merz sees no reason to criticize Israeli, US attacks on Iran

"There is no reason for us to criticize what Israel started a week ago, nor is there any reason to criticize what America did last weekend," Merz said. NATO's Rutte defended the US's attack as well.

JUNE 23, 2025ByREUTERS
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during an industrial sector association BDI event in Berlin, Germany, June 23, 2025.

Germany's Merz urges moderation in call with Netanyahu, source says

Germany plans to host nuclear talks with its European partners and the Iranian foreign minister at its permanent representation in Geneva.

JUNE 19, 2025ByREUTERS
Benjamin Netanyahu (R) hosts then-German Leader of the Opposition, Friedrich Merz, (L) in Jerusalem, February 12, 2024.

Merz: 'Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us by striking Iran, lacks necessary weapons'

German Chancellor Merz has praised Israel for doing the 'dirty work' for everyone, but said that Israel also lacked the necessary weapons.

JUNE 17, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz attends a press conference following the German general election in Berlin, Germany, February 24, 2025.