German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the annexation of the West Bank would be a "great mistake" on the part of Israel.

The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Tuesday that any move to annex in the West Bank would represent a "great mistake," highlighting Berlin's growing concern over developments in the territory. Alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Merz asserted that the annexation measures discussed in Jerusalem would make the two-state solution more difficult. Germany urges Israel to refrain from such actions, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul traveled to Israel to convey Berlin's position directly.

The West Bank and East Jerusalem were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967, and today, approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers live there among the roughly 3 million Palestinians. Israeli settlers and aspects of Israel's control over the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, a point reiterated by several European governments last week. Merz openly criticized the scale of Israel's offensive in Gaza, stating that the level of damage inflicted on civilians "could no longer be justified." Additionally, his government suspended approvals for German arms exports that could be used in Gaza, a decision that sparked reactions from his conservative CDU/CSU bloc. Wadephul recently condemned the attacks by Israeli extremists in the West Bank, emphasizing that the violence of radical settlers, which has led to the deaths of Palestinians, is clearly condemnable.