Germany's foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, visits Jerusalem's Hall of Remembrance on April 24. (Gali Tibbon/AFP)JERUSALEM — A diplomatic tiff erupted Tuesday after the visiting German foreign minister defied Israeli warnings and vowed to meet with a group highly critical of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had issued an ultimatum to Germany's top diplomat, Sigmar Gabriel: Either cancel that meeting or I won't meet with you. He had been scheduled to meet Netanyahu on Tuesday until word of his meeting with Breaking the Silence reached the Israeli prime minister's ears. Netanyahu said it was not his policy to meet foreign visitors who, on diplomatic trips to Israel, meet with groups that slander Israeli soldiers as war criminals.

Source: Washington Post April 25, 2017 13:27 UTC