BERLIN, 27 August 2021, (TON): The German government said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel called off a planned weekend visit to Israel because of the situation in Afghanistan.

Merkel was due to travel to Israel for her first trip to the country since Naftali Bennett succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. Her visit had been due to last until Monday.

It was called off in consultation with Bennett “because of current developments in Afghanistan,” Merkel’s office said in a statement. Germany is among the countries scrambling to evacuate from Kabul their own nationals and Afghans who helped their forces during a nearly-two-decade deployment in the country.

according to his office Bennett spoke with Merkel from his hotel in Washington during his ongoing visit to the United States.

The prime minister said “he understands the situation and expressed the hope that the Afghanistan withdrawal will be successful and carried out without casualties.”

He added that he hoped to host Merkel in the future, the statement said.