Israel annoyed with German FM's plan to meet critics over West Bank

Israel's political arena was stirred Tuesday by Netanyahu's threat to cancel talks with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel over the visiting diplomat's plan to meet with groups critical of Israel's action in the West Bank.

An Israeli official speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity confirmed reports that Netanyahu has threatened to call off a meeting with Gabriel if he meets members of Breaking The Silence and B'Tselem, two Israeli rights group.

Breaking The Silence collects testimonies from Israeli soldiers about improper or illegal activities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. B'Tselem is a legal organization that documents violations of human rights and international law in these territories.

Gabriel rejected the ultimatum. He told German public television station ZDF that he learned about it from the Israeli media.

"We are learning through the Israeli media that Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom I have frequently met, wants to cancel this meeting because we want to meet critical representatives of civil society," Gabriel said.

"It is difficult for me to imagine this because that would be extremely regrettable," he said. "It is completely normal that we speak with civil society representatives during a visit abroad," he said, adding that it would be "unthinkable" to cancel a meeting with Netanyahu if he met government critics in Germany.

Gabriel is on a visit to the Middle East to press for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Tuesday morning, he met with opposition leader, Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Labor party. In the afternoon, he is scheduled to meet with President Reuven Rivlin, according to a statement released by the President's Residence.

Such incidents occurred in the past during visit by officials to Israel.

In February, Netanyahu instructed the foreign ministry to reprimand the Belgian ambassador after Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel met with representatives of Breaking The Silence and B'tselem during a visit to Israel.

Right-wing political leaders hailed Netanyahu's move. Education Minister Naftali Bennett and leader of the Jewish Home ultra-nationalist party said his party is "backing" Netanyahu.

"Breaking The Silence is not an organization that is anti-Netanyahu, but an anti-Israel and anti-Israel Defense Forces. It is inappropriate for a foreign minister who visits a particular country to meet with people who are acting against that state," Bennett said in a statement.

The two groups have become a frequent target for condemnations by right-wing politicians, who accuse them being "traitors" who acts against Israel.

A new law from 2016 requires non-governmental organizations that receive more than half of their funding from overseas governments or bodies like the European Union to publicly state that they receive foreign funds.

The law targets specifically human rights groups because right-wing groups almost always rely on local donations.

Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and had controlled these lands ever since, despite international criticism. Endit