Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor refused to take a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he cancelled a scheduled meeting.

Sigmar Gabriel arrived in Israel on Monday and was due to meet Mr Netanyahu while in the region. But the Israeli PM called off the meeting today after Mr Gabriel refused to respond to an ultimatum.

According to officials in Mr Netanyahu’s office, he had demanded Mr Gabriel not meet representatives of left-wing groups B’Tselem, which documents human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, and Breaking the Silence, a non-government organisation which publishes testimonies of veterans from the Israeli Defence Force to shed light on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

German diplomats refused to bow to the pressure and insisted the meetings would go ahead as planned.

Mr Gabriel is expected to meet President Reuven Rivlin and opposition chairman Isaac Herzog. Yesterday Mr Herzog issued a statement condemning Mr Netanyahu for the ultimatum and accused him of harming Israel’s foreign relations.

“Netanyahu is fleeing from the field,” Herzog said. “Netanyahu’s ultimatum to the German foreign minister is a serious blow to Israel’s foreign relations with the biggest economy in Europe and a true friend of Israel.

“Instead of running away from the campaign, I call on Netanyahu to meet with the German foreign minister and present his positions and Israel’s positions, without fear of any organisations,” he told Haaretz.

This is not the first time Mr Netanyahu has intervened in this way. Earlier this year he summoned the Belgian ambassador to a meeting after the country’s prime minister met with both groups.

He has also asked Theresa May to stop British funding of Israeli left-wing groups, including Breaking the Silence