Future German chancellor vows to shield Netanyahu from ICC arrest warrant

Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won German elections this weekend, paving the way for him to become the country's next chancellor  

News Desk - The Cradle

Germany's likely next chancellor said on 24 February he would ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can visit Germany despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“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,” said conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party chief Friedrich Merz.

Merz's CDU won Sunday's German elections, allowing him to form a coalition government and become chancellor, replacing Olaf Scholz of the liberal Social Democratic Party (SDU).

“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,” he added.

In an earlier statement, Netanyahu's office said 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.”

In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for seeking to starve Palestinians by imposing a “total siege” on Gaza, blocking the entry of food, water, and fuel into the strip after the start of the war in October 2023.

The Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, includes 124 state parties across six continents.

Under the statute, countries that are part of the ICC are legally bound to enforce its arrest warrants, but several European allies of Israel and the US are now refusing to do so, including formerly strong backers of the ICC, such as Germany.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 48,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, primarily through the mass bombings of civilian areas.

Thousands more have been reported missing under the rubble and are presumed dead.

Scientists have estimated that the total deaths from Israel's war on Gaza could ultimately be 186,000 or more, as Palestinians die from indirect causes resulting from the war.

Infectious disease, malnutrition, the destruction of hospitals, and the killing of medical experts mean that mortality rates among Palestinians in Gaza will remain high even after Israel's horrific bombardment of the strip has permanently ended.