Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference in Berlin, January 2010. Image by GPO

(REUTERS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Monday to cancel a meeting with Germany’s foreign minister if he sits down with a left-wing rights group.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was due to meet with “civil society” groups in Israel on Tuesday, a Berlin spokeswoman said. Israeli media said Gabriel would meet with “Breaking the Silence,” a group that collects testimonies from Israeli veterans about the military’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the influence it says Israeli settlers have on the army’s actions.

Germany canceled a scheduled annual meeting of German and Israeli leaders in March amid rising frustration with West Bank settlement activity.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In February, Netanyahu ordered the reprimand of the Belgian ambassador after Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel met with Breaking the Silence and B’tselem, another rights group.

Both organizations have become popular targets for right-wing politicians who accuse them of damaging Israel’s reputation abroad and putting Israeli soldiers and officials at risk.

Israel passed a law in 2016 requiring non-government organizations that receive more than half their funding from foreign governments to provide details of their donations. The legislation was largely seen as targeting left-wing organizations such as B’tselem and Breaking the Silence and drew international criticism.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount