File Photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP Photo)
Berlin:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu next on Thursday for talks, as part of a regular annual meeting of the two countries' cabinets.
The two leaders will hold bilateral talks before joining a plenary with ministers from both sides, in what would be the sixth such meeting.
Such "government consultations" is a format Germany has with only a handful of countries, including India and China.
Germany is widely seen as Israel's strongest European ally but their ties have been strained in recent years.
Netanyahu strongly opposes a deal hammered out between six world powers including Germany and Iran ending a 13-year standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
And Merkel has frequently joined Western leaders in criticising Israel's settlements in the West Bank.
The two leaders will hold bilateral talks before joining a plenary with ministers from both sides, in what would be the sixth such meeting.
Such "government consultations" is a format Germany has with only a handful of countries, including India and China.
Germany is widely seen as Israel's strongest European ally but their ties have been strained in recent years.
Netanyahu strongly opposes a deal hammered out between six world powers including Germany and Iran ending a 13-year standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
And Merkel has frequently joined Western leaders in criticising Israel's settlements in the West Bank.
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