German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has emphasized the importance of international legal order as part of German identity, while suggesting that Berlin should avoid a potential clash with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We, in particular, must make international legal order part of our identity,” Steinmeier declared, adding that “this is an appeal not to ignore international law, but to avoid testing it in this case.”
He was responding to comments made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had promised after his election victory that Germany “would find ways and means for Netanyahu to visit the country and leave without being arrested.“
The ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu is related to accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war. As a signatory to the court’s statute, Germany is legally obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he enters its territory.
Meanwhile, the European Union has suggested that Israel’s actions in Gaza may constitute violations of human rights and the association agreement with the EU.
