BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday warned Israel against the annexation of the West Bank, media reports said.

The situation in the West Bank must not be lost sight of. “We must keep the path to Palestinian statehood open. Therefore, there must be no annexation steps in the West Bank,” Merz said in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, where he met the Jordanian King Abdullah II.

Ultra-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have long advocated annexation of the West Bank, which Palestinians claim as part of a future independent state.

“We want to help lay the foundations for a new order throughout the Middle East.” It must be an order in which Israelis, Palestinians, and Arab neighbors can live in lasting peace, freedom, and security, he added.

Merz reiterated that Germany supports a two-state solution and said that peace negotiations should begin soon.

Meanwhile, the German leader called for progress in the peace process for Gaza.

“We share the relief that the ceasefire in Gaza has now stabilized for two months. But now we must also succeed in entering the second phase,” Merz said.

He emphasized that this also includes quickly and noticeably improving the still precarious humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza. “More humanitarian aid is needed before winter.”

The chancellor first stopped in the Jordanian city of Aqaba on the Red Sea in the afternoon and then flew on to Israel. A meeting with President Izchak Herzog was held in the evening in Jerusalem. Merz plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.