German chancellor’s rebuke of Israel marks a shift in state policy that has long put such criticism out of bounds
- Written by Elisabeth Weber, Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Israeli President Isaac Herzog prepare to shake hands in Berlin on May 12, 2025.Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesFriedrich Merz did something unprecedented for a German chancellor in late May 2025: publicly criticize Israel in unvarnished, unequivocal terms.
“What the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, I no...









