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2025-06-02 Europe
There Are ‘No Decisions To Be Made’: Merz' Chief Of Staff Frei Does Not Rule Out Netanyahu's Arrest In Germany (translated)
No decisions to be made by Israel as well: no visits to Germany so long as this government is in office.
[ApolloNews] Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei has not ruled out the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he sets foot on German soil. He stated that they respect "the independence of the International Criminal Court."

The topic of Israel is causing conflict within the CDU/CSU: Following the anti-Israel speeches by Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul this week, there has been internal party criticism of the statements made by the Chancellor and Foreign Minister. A dispute that even Thorsten Frei, a close confidant of Merz and well-connected, apparently cannot resolve: In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the CDU's head of the Chancellery also failed to take a clear position on the question of the CDU's position on Israel and its war against the terrorist group Hamas.

The 51-year-old repeatedly evaded the question of whether Germany would defy the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and whether he would still be welcome in Germany. Frei initially only said: "The elected Prime Minister of Israel is, of course, always a dialogue partner of the German Federal Government" – no clear commitment. When the journalist asked him whether this would not answer the question, Frei simply replied with a postponement: "There is currently no visit to Israel planned; nor vice versa. Therefore, no decisions need to be made," Frei said.

The decision is certainly relevant now – especially because the coalition partner SPD is increasingly using harsher language against Israel and Merz, with his accusation that the Israeli army is breaking international law in the Gaza Strip, has at least caused decades of support for Israel and raison d'état to crumble ( Apollo News reported), if not even a historic low point in German-Israeli relations.

Frei also evades the commitment to Israel in the following questions: "In principle, Germany still respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and its procedural processes, as well as those of all other international courts," is the CDU politician's next response to the question of whether relations with Israel would ultimately take precedence over international law. Frei's answer, decoded, is: We will listen to the International Criminal Court's ruling, but since Netanyahu isn't visiting Germany, we don't even have to ask ourselves whether he will actually be arrested. That's not a convincing expression of solidarity.



Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2025-06-02 00:33|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [75 views ]  Top
 File under: Hamas 

#1 I thought the German government pledged not to persecute Jews anymore.
Posted by Abu Uluque 2025-06-02 11:54||   2025-06-02 11:54|| Front Page Top

#2 Merz actually did invite Netanyahu in February.

That was before his election hiccup that showed he has no secure parliamentary majority.

He needs the votes of the Greens and the East German Communists.

At this point the Chancellor is objectively about as pro-Israel as the Naikaku Sōri Daijin Taoiseach.
Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2025-06-02 17:08||   2025-06-02 17:08|| Front Page Top

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