German Chancellor Friedrich Merz heads to Israel on Saturday (December 6, 2025) for his first visit since taking office, aiming to reaffirm traditionally solid ties that were shaken during the Gaza war. Mr. Merz, after stopping in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, is set to fly on to Israel in the evening before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday. The German leader is also expected to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Given the dark legacy of Nazi Germany's industrial-scale murder of Jews, German leaders have long seen unflinching support for Israel as a bedrock...