Germany's Merz travels to Jordan and Israel

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to depart on Saturday for his first visits to Israel and Jordan since taking office in May.

His first stop will be the Jordanian capital Amman, where he is scheduled to meet King Abdullah II.

Later in the evening, 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.

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

Angela Merkel made her inaugural visit as chancellor after just two months, reflecting Germany's sense of special responsibility towards Israel because of the Holocaust.

Merz has waited seven months. The delay is 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.