Posted on 02/24/2025 7:35:14 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
JERUSALEM, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday he had invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit and would find a way for him to do so without being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court.
"I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli Prime Minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany," Merz said at a press conference a day after his conservatives won the largest share of the vote in a national election.
He said he had told Netanyahu by phone "that we would find ways and means for him to visit Germany and leave again without being arrested". Netanyahu's office said Netanyahu had congratulated Merz, and that Merz had told Netanyahu he would invite him to Germany "in defiance of the scandalous International Criminal Court decision to label the Prime Minister a war criminal".
The Hague-based ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister as well as Hamas officials for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.
All 27 EU countries including Germany are signatories of the founding treaty of the court, the only permanent international tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity, which requires members to arrest its suspects on their territory.
The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the court and denies war crimes.
Germans feel a special responsibility towards Israel due to the legacy of the Holocaust, and Merz has made clear he is a strong ally. But Germany also has a strong tradition of support for international justice for war crimes.
The Left party called Merz's invitation a "disaster" and accused him of "double standards".
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
But the current German “Far Right” is using the Islamist threat and other share cultural values to bring Jews to their side, and do not label Netanyahu a war criminal.
The “Center-Right” (German version) party won
It’s Merkel’s Party.
It’s hard for krauts to overcome their natural inclination to round up Jews.
Why would Netanyahu go to Germany?
I’ll admit the invitation sounds very enticing, not getting arrested and all…
How about just withdrawing from the ICC, sanctioning the organization, and banning its rapist judge from visiting Germany?
I hope Bibi doesn’t trust them. The warrant is out there, and someone in Germany will find a way to enforce it. Never trust a Russian, and Germans are just above that. A Zoom meeting is safest.
I think international arrest warrants for all the ICC judges would fix things rather quickly. Let them taste their own medicine.
Germans have been threatening to arrest Jews. 🤔
How about he go to Israel?
Israel is one of the best friends Germany has.
If I were Benjamin Netanyahu, I would refuse to go to Germany. Want to meet with him Germany, you go to him.
If I were Netanyahu (and if I thought a visit to Germany was important)
I would tell Merz (nicely) that I don’t care if you work anything out - if I get
arrested - you will be dealing with the Israeli Air Force.
Merz “would find a way...” That’s too nebulous. Netanyahu should not go there.
Germany does not want a war with Israel.
So the Germans are struggling to find a way not to arrest a Jew? You can’t make this stuff up. Scratch a German, find a Nazi underneath.
Wow, German promises to Jews. Should be used as toilet papper.
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