MUNICH — Israel’s Cabinet has met for the first time in Germany as the two countries held a joint Cabinet meeting in Berlin.

The meeting on January 18 was the second time the two Cabinets have convened together under a program initiated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in March 2008, when the governments met together in Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrived in Berlin on January 18 with seven ministers for meetings with Merkel and members of her Cabinet, where the threat of a nuclear Iran was expected to be high on the agenda, according to the German Press Agency.

Other issues set to be discussed include economic, political and security ties between Israel and Germany, as well as the Middle East peace process.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak reportedly was prepared to ask Merkel to approve and subsidise with the United States the sale of another diesel submarine to Israel, the sixth Dolphin class German submarine to be purchased by Israel, according to Reuters.

Discussions also are planned this week between German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman.

JTA