Germany is one of the most faithful partners, along with USAof Israel in the international arena. Due to historical responsibility, after the Nazi regime exterminated more than six million Jews during World War II. And this is what his chancellor has stressed, Friedrich Merzduring the two-day trip he made to the country. However, the brutality of the offensive in Gaza It has also prompted the Berlin Executive to abandon blind support and, after last August suspending its arms deliveries to Tel Aviv, this Sunday Merz considered that Israel, “as a country at war” and “as a democratic State governed by a rule of law,”must be held accountable under international law for its military actions“.
This was stated by the German Chancellor during the joint press conference he held with the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, after their meeting in Jerusalem. Merz explained that the actions of the Netanyahu Government during the war in the Strip put Germany “in front of a dilemma“. “Before the immense suffering suffered by the civilian population of Gaza, we had to show our support,” he stressed.
But the rant hasn’t stopped there. The German leader has also called Israel to order for its expansionist policies in the West Bank. “There can be no annexationist measures (…) or formal, political, structural or other measures that amount to an annexation,” he stressed, while highlighting that the two state solution It continues to be the roadmap with which Germany works.
In his turn, Netanyahu has once again attacked the International Criminal Court (CPI)which in November 2024 issued an international arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity and has accused British prosecutor Karim Khan of “corrupt” and “destroy the reputation of said institution”.
“A lot of people ask, ‘Is this the organization that was supposed to investigate the Holocaust?’ (…). “The ICC has many things to correct itself, and one of them is, obviously, getting rid of ridiculous accusations,” he stressed.
“Historical responsibility”
Before his meeting with Netanyahu, Merz took advantage of his visit to Museo del Holocausto Yad Vahem in Jerusalem to highlight Germany’s “enduring historical responsibility” for the murder of more than six million Jews during the Third Reich. “Germany must defend the existence and security of Israel. This will forever remain inextricably at the core of our relationship,” he added.
Relations between both countries reached a turning point last August, when the Merz Government imposed restrictions on arms exports to Israel, partly due to pressure from a sector of society in the face of the bloody offensive in Gaza. In October, after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force, Germany reversed the restrictions and a few days ago announced its decision to join the Israeli-American Arrow 3 defense system to intercept ballistic missiles.
Furthermore, Merz is the first leader of a major European country to travel to Israel since the ICC issued the international arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
