GOVERNMENT

Friedrich Merz

Chancellor

The leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union and a former chairman of the Bundestag's transatlantic caucus, Friedrich Merz emerged over the past year as one of Israel's most principled defenders in European politics. As Germany grappled with mass protests and a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, Merz forcefully linked support for Israel to Germany's post-Holocaust responsibility, opposed efforts to restrict arms exports to Israel, condemned antisemitic rhetoric at pro-Hamas demonstrations, and pressured the governing coalition to act more decisively against Islamist networks operating inside the country.