German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons but disagreed on how as they met to showcase cooperation between their countries. The one-day visit to Israel by Merkel and members of her cabinet was part of German-Israeli government consultations held regularly, but came after Netanyahu’s harsh criticism of European countries over their efforts to keep alive the Iran nuclear deal. Germany and other European countries have also repeatedly hit out at Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and warned over threats to remaining prospects for a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
