German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) meets with Israel's President Isaac Herzog at the president's residence in Jerusalem . AFP
Merz landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport just before 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) and was met by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who called him "a friend of Israel". Germany, he added, was "an important partner".
Merz met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem later Saturday.
"I consider it a great honour and a truly great distinction to be here and to reaffirm that standing by this country is and will remain the unchanging core principle of the Federal Republic of Germany's policy," said Merz.
Earlier Saturday, Merz held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II during a brief stopover there. Their discussions focused largely on the fragile peace process in Gaza, he told reporters.
Merz urged more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and for Hamas fighters to lay down their weapons, adding that both Jordan and Germany remained committed to a negotiated two-state solution.
In Jerusalem on Sunday, Merz is scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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 of the country's foreign policy.
Despite the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has killed more than 350 Palestinians, bringing the overall death toll from its genocidal war to more than 70,000, the majority of them women and children.
"The actions of the Israeli army in Gaza have posed some dilemmas for us (and) we have responded to them," Merz said Saturday.
But, he added: "Israel has the right to defend itself."
Merz recently offered Israel full-throated support as European broadcasters considered whether to exclude the country from the annual Eurovision Song Contest, calling such a possibility "scandalous".
Thursday's decision to include Israel in the upcoming Eurovision event was warmly welcomed in Berlin.
Nevertheless, German officials have said there are currently no plans to invite Netanyahu to Berlin.
The Israeli leader faces an arrest warrant for war crimes in Gaza from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Earlier this year however, Merz vowed to invite the Israeli leader and told him he would not be arrested.
Nor have any tensions disrupted key military ties. Germany last week put into operation the first phase of the Israeli-made Arrow missile defence shield.
The $4.5-billion deal was reportedly the largest arms export agreement in Israeli history.
Before leaving Berlin on Saturday, Merz spoke with Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmud Abbas.
A spokesman said Merz underscored German support for a two-state solution but urged Abbas to push through "urgently necessary reforms" of the PA in order to play a "constructive role" in the postwar order.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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