Germany's Merz sets off for Jordan and Israel after talking to Abbas

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is on his way to make inaugural visits to Israel and Jordan, following a phone call with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The German leader will first stop in Amman, where he is scheduled to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Later on Saturday, Merz is to be received by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem. A meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planned for Sunday.

Merz is also scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial to lay a wreath, a customary element of every inaugural visit by a German chancellor to Israel.

The trip is expected to focus on the recently strained relations between the two countries and on further stabilizing the ceasefire in Gaza.

Merz plans to meet with former hostages held in Gaza as well as the relatives of abductees killed in Hamas captivity.

No visit to Palestinian Territories

Before departing from Berlin, Merz spoke on the phone with Palestinian President Abbas, a government spokesman said on Saturday.

The two leaders stressed the need for a negotiated two-state solution which they agreed would offer the best chance for lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, Merz spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.

A two-state solution envisions and independent Palestinian state coexisting peacefully alongside Israel, a notion rejected by Netanyahu's right-wing religious government.

Merz underscored his support for US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan and welcomed the cooperative stance of the Palestinian Authority, according to the spokesman.

The chancellor also called for reforms to allow the Abbas administration to play a constructive role in Gaza's post-war order.

Merz is not planning to visit the Palestinian Territories during his trip.

Germany is one of Israel's closest allies alongside the United States, yet the visit only comes seven months after Merz took office in May. His predecessor, Olaf Scholz, travelled to Israel after only three months in office.

Long-time chancellor Angela Merkel made her inaugural visit after just two months within taking office, reflecting Germany's sense of special responsibility towards Israel because of the Holocaust.

Merz is understood to have delayed the trip largely due to the Gaza war, which made a visit long seem impossible. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has now been in place for about six weeks.