Merz emphasises Germany's support for Israel and calls for ceasefire in Gaza

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed the country's support for Israel amid its conflict with Iran and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a wide-ranging government statement on Tuesday in which he said the country's "reason of state" is to defend Israel's existence, condemned Russia's attacks in Ukraine, and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.Addressing lawmakers in the Bundestag ahead of the NATO summit at The Hague, Merz said "we must never get used to the horrors of war", before going on to speak about Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, and the Israel-Iran conflict. Germany's chancellor said Israel "has a right to defend its existence and the safety of its citizens" against Iran, and that Germany's "reason of state is to defend the state of Israel in its existence". He also told parliament that Iran "must not have nuclear weapons"."Today, we hope that the actions of Israel and the US in the past few days will permanently dissuade Iran from continuing its destructive course," Merz said, referring to US President Donald Trump's decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend in a war that has now been raging for 12 days. Merz emphasised that the EU and the wider world are "threatened" by Iran's nuclear programme, and said Germany would undertake diplomatic efforts in a bid to stop the conflict with Israel. The German chancellor also promised to find a humanitarian solution to Israel's war in Gaza, and called for a ceasefire."The moment has come to conclude a ceasefire for Gaza," he said. While Germany would continue to support Israel, it also will "critically question what goal Israel wants to achieve in the Gaza Strip", according to Merz. In his speech, Merz also condemned Russia's latest airstrikes on Ukraine and said that Moscow does not want peace. "Genuine, lasting peace requires a willingness for peace on all sides," he said. "Russia, on the other hand, has made it clear in a barbaric way with its new wave of attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population that it does not currently have this willingness for peace."Earlier on Tuesday, Germany's Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil vowed to lift the country's defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product in 2029. At the NATO summit at The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday, member states are expected to agree to raise defence spending from 2% of GDP to 3.5%, plus another 1.5% for potentially defence-related infrastructure.Merz told lawmakers in his address that increasing defence spending and beefing up the country's military is vital to Germany's future.On the topic of domestic affairs, Merz promised to tackle migration and said that EU member states are united in the view that tariffs are damaging to the bloc.The European Commission is set to begin negotiations with the US on tariffs in July, and Merz stated that several options have been prepared in case the talks are not successful."The EU and can and will defend its interests," Merz said, before adding that he believed the US has economic reasons to continue working with Germany and Europe.