In a Sept. 14 interview with Berliner Zeitung, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s rejection of the possibility of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s being arrested by German law enforcement authorities. An arrest warrant has been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court.
In February, Merz had spoken out against arresting Netanyahu should he visit Germany. Heusgen points out that the International Criminal Court is part of the historical sequence of the Nuremberg Trials and that Germany, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, cannot evade its legal obligation to implement the arrest warrant. He explained:
“The International Criminal Court was co-founded by Germany. Its history goes back to the Nuremberg Trials. By signing the Rome Statute, Germany committed itself to implementing any arrest warrant issued. Our country therefore has a historical and international legal obligation to do so.
