German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed the situation in the Gaza war with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his two-day visit to Israel on Tuesday.
Before the meeting began, Netanyahu announced a new offensive to remove the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Steinmeier said before the conversation that they will talk about the acts of the war and its consequences and the new announcement.
Steinmeier defends meeting with Netanyahu
“I really hope we will receive explanations, including explanations of medium and long term intentions,” the German president said.
Steinmeier also rejected Amnesty International's demand not to meet Netanyahu. “I find the need very simple,” he said. “For politicians, avoiding difficult conversations is also the easiest thing to do. It's never my position. Especially not my position on Israel.”
The amnesty has previously asked the German president to avoid meeting with Netanyahu, under an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.
Military honors, meetings between presidents
Steinmeier arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at noon and Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid military honors to him.
Herzog flew to Israel on Monday in Berlin, Steinmeier on Tuesday morning.
Reciprocal visits respect diplomatic relations between the two states 60 years ago.
After the agreement reached by Germany's then-Chancellor Ludwig Erhard and Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, diplomatic ties were formally established on May 12, 1965.
The move comes after a gradual reconciliation between the two countries, whose relations were deeply hurt by the atrocities during the Holocaust, during which Nazi Germany murdered about 6 million Jews.
In the following decades, Germany and Israel established a close network of political, economic, military, scientific and cultural cooperation.
But the anniversary was covered up by the ongoing Gaza war, and Steinmeer called on Herzog, Berlin to lift a blockade to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in coastal areas and comply with international law.
“The enemy of Israel does not follow the rules, but we must follow the rules,” Steinmeer said in a speech at a state banquet in the German capital on Monday night. At the same time, he pointed out Israel's right to self-defense.
In Jerusalem, two heads of state visited the National Library of Israel.
Visit Kibbutz Be'eri to end the trip
On Wednesday, Steinmeier plans to visit Kibbutz Be'eri, which is directly bordered by the Gaza Strip. Hamas almost completely destroyed it in an October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Steinmeer visited Kibbutz with Herzog a few weeks after the attack.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's official residence. Bernd Von Jutrczenka/DPA
