"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is to travel to Madrid on Thursday on his first visit to Spain since taking office in May. His talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are expected to focus on European political issues and security policy, But one issue could possibly cause contention between the two leaders despite the generally good relations between their countries: that of policy toward Israel amidits offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas."
"Although both leaders have sharply criticized the Israeli military operation, which has led to a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Germany has so far rejected imposing any sanctions on Israel beyond curbing some arms exports. Spain, however, has taken a far more proactive stance. In 2024, it joined South Africa's lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide, the first EU member to do so."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Madrid for his first visit to Spain since taking office in May. Talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are expected to focus on European political issues and security policy. A potential point of contention is policy toward Israel amid its offensive against Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attacks. Both leaders criticized the Israeli military operation, which has produced a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Germany has rejected sanctions on Israel beyond curbing some arms exports. Spain joined South Africa's 2024 lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide and Sanchez announced an arms embargo and travel ban for individuals alleged to be involved in atrocities. The EU is considering sanctions, and Merz has not announced his position on those proposals.
Read at www.dw.com
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