Detain the leader of Israel? - Merz Deems Netanyahu Response from Scholz Spokesperson a "Scandal"
Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit (51) expressed on Wednesday that Germany would adhere to the law regarding the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, CDU leader Friedrich Merz (68) is now voicing his disapproval. When inquired about Germany's response to a potential arrest, Hebestreit replied merely, "Of course, we are complying with the law."
Merz went on to condemn the German government's silence on the subject, stating, "The Israeli government can and should be criticized, but the International Criminal Court was established to hold tyrants and dictators in check, not to arrest democratically elected government officials."
Merz is putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65, SPD) to clarify the German government's stance on the issue. He questioned, "If the German government spokesperson makes such comments, what value does Germany's solidarity with Israel hold? And is that also the view shared by the Federal Chancellor?"
In contrast to the USA's official statements, the German government has not publicly condemned the Chief Prosecutor's motion to arrest Netanyahu. The question of whether Germany would take action against the Prime Minister was left unanswered.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (64, SPD) had previously been more cautious in his statements. On Tuesday, he noted, "At the moment, we're discussing applying for arrest warrants, not issuing them. Therefore, it is difficult to speculate about how the German government would handle this matter."
Additionally, Pistorius shared his disdain for the prosecutor's decision to combine two seemingly unrelated cases into one, stating, " frankly, I don't fully comprehend the logic of folding such starkly different circumstances into a single document."
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Source: symclub.org
