I totally agree Trump has largely destroyed US influence (for the moment), but then again Merz is part of the Israeli genocide club, so he’s hardly a paragon of leadership himself.

The German government has consistently denied that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. In December 2024, after Amnesty International released a report accusing Israel of genocide, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Sebastian Fischer stated that “genocide presupposes a clear intention to eradicate an ethnic group. I still do not recognize any such clear intention.”

In early December 2025, Merz visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. The discussions focused on solidifying German support for Israel, the ongoing Gaza conflict, the peace process, and a major arms deal.

[…]

Another point of contention appears to have eased. While Merz acknowledged that certain Israeli military actions in Gaza put Germany in a “dilemma” and urged Israel to respect international law, he stressed that the decision to suspend arms deliveries was a one-time measure.

Germany suspended the delivery of some arms to Israel in August amid growing concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza. The suspension was lifted in November following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Defense cooperation remains a cornerstone of German-Israeli ties despite the war in Gaza, which a UN committee has labeled genocide — a charge rejected by Israel.

Notably, Israel has outright rejected Germany’s preferred two-state solution, continues to kill Palestinians at an alarming rate despite the so-called “ceasefire”, and continues turn a blind eye to Zionist settlers murdering Palestinians living in the West Bank. But Merz went ahead and lifted his 4-month long arms embargo so that weapons and profit could keep flowing.