Berlin, MINA – Amnesty International has slammed Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union and candidate for next chancellor after Sunday’s parliamentary elections, for inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Berlin.
“Not a good start as a future chancellor: on the eve of the Bundestag elections, Friedrich Merz appears to be inviting Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court,” Amnesty Deutschland said in a statement to X on Monday, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
The organization described the move as an “open call” to break the law.
“The new German government must respect international law and human rights institutions. For a foreign policy without double standards,” Amnesty added.
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The Israeli prime minister’s office announced on Monday that Merz would invite Netanyahu for an official visit to Germany.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Merz said that he had assured Netanyahu that he would “find ways and means” to allow him to visit Germany without risking arrest.
“I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany,” Merz said.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 48,300 people have been killed since October 2023. []
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