German Chancellor-in-Waiting Vows to Protect Israel’s Netanyahu from ICC Arrest Warrant

Friedrich Merz, the presumptive next Chancellor of Germany, has stated that he would ensure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could visit Germany without facing arrest, despite an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Al Jazeera reports.

Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which recently won national elections, conveyed this assurance during a conversation with reporters on Monday. He mentioned a congratulatory phone call with Netanyahu where he extended an invitation to meet once a new German government is established.

“In the event that he [Netanyahu] plans to visit Germany, I have promised myself that we will find a way to ensure that he can visit Germany and leave again without being arrested,” Merz stated from Berlin. “I think it’s a really absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister can’t visit the Federal Republic of Germany. He will be able to visit Germany.”

Netanyahu’s office released an earlier statement indicating that Merz had invited the Israeli prime minister “to make an official visit to Germany, in overt defiance of the scandalous International Criminal Court decision to label the Prime Minister a war criminal.”

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

While both Israel and Hamas claim Deif was killed in July during an Israeli air strike, the ICC has not confirmed his death.

Responding to Merz’s comments on Monday, the ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, asserted that member states have a legal obligation to enforce its decisions. The court stated that any concerns countries may have should be addressed with the court in a timely and efficient manner.