Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is currently on an official visit to Germany. The focus of the visit is the threat posed by Iran, the security situation in the Middle East and strategic cooperation between Jerusalem and Berlin.
Sa’ar met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, it was the eighth meeting between the two foreign ministers within a year — a sign of the exceptionally close coordination between Germany and Israel.
Honored to meet German Chancellor @_FriedrichMerz in Berlin.
We had a good discussion about our bilateral ties and regional affairs.
I expressed appreciation for the Chancellor’s clear statements on antisemitism and his commitment to combating it.
We discussed the Iranian… pic.twitter.com/yCZoG3cbHQ— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 5, 2026
The visit also included talks with other senior German politicians, including Armin Laschet, chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee and one of the best-known supporters of German-Israeli relations within the CDU.
Great meeting with my friend Chairman of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs @ArminLaschet.
The Chairman is a true friend of Israel, who works extensively to strengthen ties in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.
We discussed opportunities to expand the circle of… pic.twitter.com/H0h306hYki— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 5, 2026
At a joint press conference in Berlin, Sa’ar and Wadephul emphasized the close partnership between the two countries amid tensions in the Middle East. Both foreign ministers made clear that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. Wadephul called on Tehran to choose diplomacy and end its destabilizing activities in the region.
Sa’ar said Israel does not seek an “endless war” with Iran. At the same time, he warned against giving the Iranian regime time to rebuild its military capabilities. Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, he said, must be completely stopped.
‘The Iranian regime’s assassination of the freedom of navigation is a threat to world order. If this naval terrorism is not dealt with, it will spread throughout the world’
Israeli FM Gideon Sa’ar says, speaking in Berlin alongside German FM Waddepol pic.twitter.com/NqHtWAsc2v
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) May 5, 2026
The situation in Lebanon and the threat posed by Hezbollah were also discussed. Sa’ar emphasized that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but will not accept renewed attacks from the country’s south. The Lebanese government, he said, must take stronger action against Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure.
The visit comes at a time when Berlin is trying to rebalance its traditionally close relationship with Israel. Chancellor Merz recently stressed, on the one hand, that further attacks on Israel would be unacceptable, while also criticizing certain Israeli military actions. Jerusalem is closely watching these signals.
Despite close cooperation, differences remain between the two governments over the war in the Gaza Strip. Although a ceasefire has been in effect since October 2025, the situation remains tense. Hamas has so far strictly rejected the disarmament demanded under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza initiative. At the same time, the Israeli army reported a total of 19 ceasefire violations between April 21 and May 5 alone.
In addition to political talks, historical and social issues are also on the agenda. Sa’ar is expected to visit the “Track 17” memorial at Berlin-Grunewald station. From there, the Nazis deported thousands of Berlin Jews to the extermination camps. Meetings with representatives of Germany’s Jewish community are scheduled afterward.
This part of the visit carries particular significance against the backdrop of increasing antisemitic incidents in Europe. Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, many European countries — including Germany — have recorded a sharp rise in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel incitement.
Relations between Israel and Germany are now closer than ever in the field of security policy as well. A central symbol of this is the Arrow 3 missile defense system. Germany decided in 2025 to purchase the Israeli system. At the beginning of 2026, an additional multibillion-dollar order followed to expand the project. With a total volume of around $6.7 billion, Arrow 3 is considered the largest defense export deal in Israel’s history.
In Berlin, Sa’ar repeatedly emphasized that Israel is not only a political partner for Germany, but also an important ally in the fields of defense, intelligence cooperation, technology and counterterrorism. Israeli systems now protect Germany “in the air, on land and at sea,” the foreign minister said.
Sa’ar also spoke at “Economic Day 2026” in Berlin, the annual gathering of the CDU Economic Council. There, he called for further expansion of German-Israeli cooperation in the fields of innovation, security technology and the economy.
שר החוץ גדעון סער נאם היום בברלין ב-Wirtschaftstag 2026, הכינוס השנתי של המועצה הכלכלית של מפלגת ה-CDU, מפלגת השלטון הנוכחית במדינה. באירוע משתתפים בכירי המימשל והכלכלה הגרמנית.
מדברי שר החוץ סער: “לפיתחו של הסדר העולמי, העולם החופשי ואירופה בכלל ניצבים אתגרי ענק. יהיה קשה מאוד… pic.twitter.com/Uvr70d2qQA
— משרד החוץ (@IsraelHebrew) May 5, 2026
Especially amid tensions in the Middle East, the German-Israeli partnership is currently gaining additional importance.
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