‘Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us’ – Germany’s chancellor under fire after defending Israel’s war

“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,” Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told the state broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday, expressing unusually strong support for Israel in its war against the Iranian regime.

Since his remarks, which differ markedly from the stance of the rest of the EU countries, Merz has faced a torrent of criticism from the opposition, as well as from the left wing of his coalition partner, the social-democratic SPD.

“We are also affected by this regime,” Merz said in the interview held on the sidelines of the G7 meeting.

“The leadership in Tehran has brought death and destruction upon the world – through attacks, through murder and slaughter, through Hezbollah, through Hamas. I can only say: the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army, the Israeli leadership had the courage to do this,” Merz said.

“This regime is very weakened and will probably not return to its former strength, making the future of the country uncertain. We will have to wait and see.”

Merz took office several months ago and was pegged as a strong supporter of Israel. However, since then, both his and his foreign minister’s rhetoric has become ever more critical of Israel.

At the end of May, Merz said about Gaza: “When lines are crossed, where humanitarian international law is clearly being violated, then Germany – then the German Chancellor – must also speak out.”

Nevertheless, Merz has shown strong support for Israel on the Iran issue. After U.S. President Donald Trump’s sudden departure from the G7 summit, Merz affirmed his support for the statement that read: “Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon, and Israel has the right to defend itself for the sake of its existence.”

His Foreign Minister and party colleague, Johann Wadephul, has largely continued the policy of the left-wing Green Party, which controlled the ministry before him, calling on both Israel and Iran to refrain from steps that could escalate the situation.

In a recent statement, the ministry called Israel’s concern over a nuclear-armed Iran “justified,” noting that the regime “must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

However, it also said the “military strikes currently being carried out carry the risk of narrowing the focus solely to a military solution.”

“As the E3, we stand ready to negotiate a solution. The leadership in Tehran must take steps: it must credibly demonstrate that it does not seek a nuclear weapon. It is never too late to return to the negotiating table – if one comes in genuine good faith.”

The E3 countries, Germany, France and the UK, plan to meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday. A European official told Politico that the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, would join the meeting as well.

“The aim is to discuss the latest developments and urge Iran to return to the negotiating table,” the official said.

The UK has also called for de-escalation but is now reportedly considering whether to join the U.S., should it decide to participate in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear regime.

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, has mainly focused on calling for restraint from both sides of the conflict.

In a statement, his office called on Israel to “urgently end [strikes] which are increasingly targeting targets unrelated to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.”

He also warned: “The greatest mistake of all mistakes today would be to try to bring about regime change in Iran by military means,” cautioning that this could result in “chaos.”