Netanyahu Cancels German-Israeli Summit Due to Security Situation

Due to the security situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a summit between the Israeli and German governments that was meant to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties. The summit was set to take place in Berlin on Thursday.

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According to a senior official in Jerusalem, Netanyahu conveyed a message to Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying that the security situation requires him to stay in Israel and asking to set a new date for the meeting.

The prime minister's bureau said in the message that the decision to cancel the summit was also made due to concerns that Netanyahu's absence from Israel during the tense situation would draw public criticism.

Earlier this week, after the holiday, Netanyahu decided to cut his planned visit to Germany short.

The senior Israeli official said then that following the recent escalation of tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the prime minister decided to drastically shorten his visit to Germany. Netanyahu was originally meant to spend roughly 36 hours in Germany, to arrive on Wednesday afternoon and to leave Thursday evening. The revised plan would have kept Netanyahu in Germany for only a few hours, but in the meantime, the visit has been called off completely.

Numerous government ministers were meant to travel along with Netanyahu, and hold meetings with their German counterparts.