Earlier this week, when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , it seemed like a routine exchange between world leaders. Afterward, Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius sent out a press release about the call. The final two sentences read: "In the conversation, the chancellor expressed his deep concern about developments in the Palestinian territories. There must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank ." On the platform X, the chancellor's account shared the same message in both a German and an English post: "I made it clear: There must be no de facto annexation of the West Bank." None of this is really new. In a call between the two heads of government in mid-July 2025, for example, the German government reported: "The chancellor emphasized that there must be no steps toward any annexation of the West Bank." Even then, the German side made it clear that it was firmly opposed to any unilateral Israeli action.…