During the four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Steinmeier will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders and will address students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
"The Federal President wants to both pay tribute to and deepen the special friendship between Germany and Israel", his website said.
Steinmeier's visit comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled talks last month with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel over his meeting with a group critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians
The dispute threatened to widen a rift between Israel and Germany over Jewish settlement building in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Netanyahu's right-wing government.