"My policy is clear: Not to meet with diplomats who visit Israel and engage with organizations that slander Israeli soldiers and seek to have them put on trial as war criminals," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Jerusalem one day after he cancelled a meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel over his decision to meet with two Israeli leftist groups that "seek to have Israeli soldiers put on trial for war crimes."

The two groups, Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem, have been widely criticized in Israel for damaging the country’s reputation abroad and putting Israeli soldiers and officials at risk of prosecution.

"The same diplomats wouldn't dream of doing this in the United States, Britain or anywhere else," Netanyahu said. "The Israel Defense Force and our soldiers are the foundation of our existence.

Sources close to Netanyahu claim that Gabriel was deliberately looking for a confrontation. He also refused to take a phone call from PM Netanyahu later in the day.

Israel-Germany diplomatic ties tested when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancels meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel for meeting with Israeli groups that "seek to have Israeli soldiers put on trial for war crimes."

Despite Netanyahu’s ultimatum to Gabriel not to meet the two groups, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly instructed her minister to keep his meetings with the NGOs at the expense of meeting with Netanyahu. Israel's Foreign Ministry offered Gabriel an explanation, but the German minister declined.

"Under my leadership, Israel's foreign relations have achieved unprecedented success. But I do it through proud, resolute national policies, and not by bowing our heads and groveling," the Israeli premier said.

But he stressed that Israel’s relations with Germany would remain strong and important.

Gabriel, a member of the Social Democrat party (SPD) who has spoken publicly about his rift with his late father, a Nazi sympathizer, told reporters the decision was "not nice" and had caught him by surprise, since he generally had an open relationship with Netanyahu. But he added that it did not spell "the end of diplomatic ties between the two countries."

He said it was normal to talk to civil society representatives in Israel, and it would be unthinkable if Israeli politicians were not allowed to meet with critics of the German government. “You can’t get a proper and comprehensive picture in any country on Earth if you only meet in government offices.”

"I regret it greatly. And, I'll say it openly, we cannot become a political football for Israeli domestic politics," he said. "But it's not a catastrophe. There will be another occasion to meet somewhere. We have to let things cool off."

Despite this snub, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met later with Gabriel. During the meeting, President Rivlin spoke of the debate surrounding the visit and stressed that ‘’as a democratic state, Israel was familiar with receiving criticism from time to time,’’ but he noted that ‘’also criticism needed to be based in reality.’’ “Our army is the most moral army in the world,” the President told the German Foreign Minister, and added, “it is an army made up of all our children. We know how to maintain our army as the most moral in the world, and we will continue to do so”.

The President continued, “We know very well the importance of preserving human life, also when we are talking about the lives of citizens of enemy states, and so we reach out our hands, and do all we can to aid the victims of the atrocities just over the border, even when other states who sanctify morality in their words, don’t lift a finger.”

In Brussels, the Group of Socialists and Social Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D) deplored Netanyahu’s decision to cancel the meeting.

S&D vice-president Victor Boştinaru said:"We deplore the decision of the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to cancel his meeting with the German Foreign Minister after the latter refused his demand that he not meet two Israeli Human Rights NGOs.’’

"Germany and the European Union are important partners of Israel and I strongly believe that these relations have been mutually beneficial to both sides in spite of existing challenges. Therefore such actions can only be harmful for our future relations and against Israel’s own interest,’’ he added.

"As I always choose to believe that Israel is a strong democracy, I can only be disappointed by such a blunt disregard towards freedom of expression and civil society."