German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Germany stands with Israel, vows to fight antisemitism wherever it appears

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Germany’s support for Israel on Saturday, saying his government stands against anyone who questions the State of Israel’s right to exist.

“We stand with Israel, and we stand against anyone in Germany who questions the State of Israel’s right to exist,” Merz told the Junge Union’s Deutschlandtag gathering in Bonn. “Nothing has changed about that.”

Merz said recognition of Israel’s right to exist should be self-evident in Berlin and criticized political negotiations in the German capital in which, he argued, such a commitment first had to be explicitly secured.

He also vowed to oppose efforts to make antisemitism socially acceptable again, whether “in the swamp of the right, in the salons of the left, in culture or wherever else.”

“Antisemitism has no place in Germany, and that will remain the case,” Merz said. “We will do everything to prevent it from spreading further in our country.”