Friedrich Merz invites Netanyahu: Friendship does not come before law
Berlin. Before he even starts governing, Friedrich Merz has another problem on his hands. He has promised Benjamin Netanyahu an invitation to Germany, even though the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister. Merz says that they will find "ways and means" to make such a trip possible.
It would be interesting to know what means and methods the likely future Chancellor has in mind. International law and German law are clear on this point, there is no room for interpretation: Netanyahu would have to be arrested after entering the country.
Against the backdrop of the country's Nazi history, which makes German-Israeli relations so special and so particularly valuable, this is an irritating idea. In this respect, Merz's impulse is understandable. He called it absurd that an Israeli head of government could not visit Germany.
However, it would be all the more absurd if Germany were to violate international law, if a Federal Chancellor were to throw the separation of powers in the country overboard in order to order prosecutors and courts not to comply with legal norms.
It would send a fatal signal both internally and externally if the co-initiator and sponsor of the International Criminal Court were to ignore its requirements. There can be no double standards in international law. If there is an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, it should be taken just as seriously as the one against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sympathy, friendship or, in the style of US President Donald Trump, business interests cannot take priority.
German-Israeli relations do not primarily depend on a head of government visiting the Chancellery. Dialogues and personal meetings are important, but can also be organized in other ways. And the arrest warrant and the accusations on which it is based are directed against the politician Netanyahu, not against Israelis or Jews. This distinction must be emphasized again and again throughout the debate on the Middle East conflict.
Netanyahu could end the predicament himself by taking part in the proceedings before the court. He should see it as a stage to refute accusations instead of brushing them aside as mere prejudice. Nothing would then stand in the way of a trip to Germany. If Friedrich Merz had this in mind when he spoke of "ways and means", that would be good. A Federal Chancellor should refrain from the arbitrary application of law and order, in his own interest, in the interest of the country and in international law.
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