Germany still hesitant to label Israel's war on Gaza 'genocide,' needs more time to decide if it will support EU sanctions 

19/09/2025 : germany will decide whether to support European Union sanctions against Israel ahead of the EU meeting in Copenhagen in October, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a visit to Madrid on Thursday.

Speaking with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Merz noted that Israel's actions in Gaza were disproportionate to its stated objectives but stressed that Germany does not consider them genocide. He also said that Germany’s stance on Palestinian statehood is not currently under discussion.

"We will reach a final opinion of the German government on these questions, which now need to be answered at the European level, in the coming days," Merz said.

"We will discuss these issues again next week at the federal cabinet level. I assume that we will then have a position at the informal council meeting on 1 October in Copenhagen that will also be supported by the entire German government."