Despite personal disapproval, the law still applies.
The call for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, is a bizarre distortion of reality, according to CDU leader Friedrich Merz. While the reasons for believing Khan's actions are wrong are numerous, the fact remains that the German government must abide by the rules.
Khan's move to apply for the arrest warrant against Netanyahu, as well as three Hamas leaders including Jihia al-Sinwar, the head of the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, equates the Israeli government with terrorists - a false equivalence. Relying on claims that the Israelis used starvation as a weapon in warfare, Khan has managed to fuel the hatred of Israel among those who advocate for its destruction. The screams of "From the river to the sea" that can be heard in some quarters, including some rooms at Berlin's Humboldt University where students now demand a complete boycott of Israel, are a testament to this. These students, who call for the removal of Israel from the map, seem to be unaware that Hamas was born out of a desire to murder as many Palestinian civilians as possible.
Merz's condemnation of this situation is justified: "The fact that you would apply for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leader Sinwar at the same time is an absurd reversal of perpetrator and victim," he told the Bild newspaper. It is understandable to disapprove of the actions taken by the Israeli government, but any action against Netanyahu must be differentiated from terrorist acts aimed at causing as much death and destruction among Palestinians as possible. The sick logic behind this is that the more people die, the more power Hamas gains.
Despite this, the law remains the law regardless of whether we like it or not. Germany and Europe have always stressed the importance of adhering to the rules in international conflicts. Germany is a member of the International Criminal Court, and its functionaries cannot simply choose to ignore decisions they find inconvenient or disagreeable.
Consequently, the government spokesperson's statement that the law will be upheld is unimpeachable, and anyone questioning this should focus on debating the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court rather than the potential actions against Netanyahu. There are many reasons to criticize Khan's actions, but ignoring the rule of law is not an option. After all, it's not about just one democratic government versus a group of terrorist leaders - it's about the principle and precedent the decision would set for future cases.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
1.Despite German politician Friedrich Merz's criticism, Germany, as a member of the International Criminal Court, is obligated to follow its rules, even if it involves considering an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.2.The International Criminal Court's decision to seek an arrest warrant against both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar, who leads the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, has been heavily criticized by Merz, who refers to it as a "reversal of perpetrator and victim."3.The Gaza Strip, controlled by the militant organization Hamas, is under scrutiny by the International Criminal Court, which is investigating claims that Israel used starvation as a weapon during its conflicts, a claim strongly challenged by German CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
Source: www.ntv.de
