German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end military operations in southern Lebanon during a telephone conversation on Monday. According to government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius, Merz advocated for "ending combat operations in southern Lebanon." He also demanded that the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia lay down its weapons and encouraged Netanyahu to initiate direct peace negotiations with the Lebanese government.
Merz expressed "his great concern about developments in the Palestinian territories," the statement continued. A de facto partial annexation of the West Bank must not be allowed to occur. The West Bank is home to approximately three million Palestinians alongside more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements and outposts that are illegal under international law.
Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) stated after a telephone call with his Lebanese counterpart Jussef Raggi that Tuesday's scheduled talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives could "be an important first step toward a future in which both are respected: Israel's legitimate security interests and Lebanon's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty."
Hezbollah's attacks on Israel "must stop," Wadephul added. At the same time, however, "the Israeli army must protect civilian populations and civilian infrastructure." To support people displaced within Lebanon, Germany has made available an additional 45 million euros for humanitarian aid, the Foreign Minister announced.
Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon at the ambassadorial level are scheduled to take place in Washington on Tuesday. The Lebanese presidency aims to negotiate a ceasefire between the Hezbollah militia and Israel. Israel currently rules this out and demands the disarmament of the Iran-funded militia.
Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem called on the Lebanese government to cancel the Washington talks. "These negotiations are submission and capitulation," he said Monday on the Hezbollah channel Al-Manar. "Nobody can lead Lebanon down this path without internal consensus, and that does not exist," the Hezbollah chief added.
The Israeli army intensified its attacks in Lebanon on Wednesday after a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, reportedly targeting numerous Hezbollah positions. Israel and Lebanon do not maintain formal diplomatic relations and have been in a formal state of war since 1948.
The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Particularly since the radical Islamist Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, human rights groups report increased land seizures and violence against Palestinians living there by radical settlers. Since the beginning of the Iran war in late February, the number of violent acts by radical settlers in the Palestinian territory has increased again.
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