Is Germany Reverting to Anti-Semitism? Contemplates Arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu

The international response to Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas is at best unhelpful and at worst supportive of terrorism.

On Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post reported that Germany will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegations of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said Germany would “abide by the law” in this decision to execute an arrest order.

The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported Thursday that Germany was joined by British prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who said Monday he is pursuing warrants for not only Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, but also three Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who planned the Oct. 7 attacks.

Israeli Ambassador to Berlin Ron Prosor took to social media platform X to vent his frustration with the news, condemning the equation of Hamas actions on Oct. 7 with Israel’s response.

This is outrageous! The German ‘Staatsräson’ is now being put to the test—no ifs or buts. This contrasts with the weak statements we hear from some institutions and political actors. The public statement that Israel has the right to self-defense loses credibility if our hands are… https://t.co/otONmN1ck5

— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) May 21, 2024

“Staatsräson is the German word that refers to Germany’s pledge to ensure Israel’s security is part of its national security and interests,” the Jerusalem Post reported.  The term was used in remarks by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2008 to Israel’s Knesset, declaring that “Israel is part of Germany’s raison d’etre—or state of being.”

Netanyahu vented his anger with the ICC for “daring to compare” Israel with “mass murderers” like Hamas, saying their actions were a “distortion of reality.” He accused Khan of “callously pouring gasoline on the fires of antisemitism that are raging across the world.”

Khan said Monday his warrants against Hamas include charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for “‘extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention.”

These warrants are specifically for Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, who is leader of the Hamas military, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Khan said his warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant are for “crimes of causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”

Germany is a less-than-ideal candidate to countenance the ICC’s decision.

A history of persecuting the Jewish people in the form of Hitler’s Third Reich doesn’t bode well for a modern German government in just trying to “abide by the law.”

Further, the ICC’s decision and any international support for it diminishes the status of a democratically elected government, Israel.

Khan’s warrants smack of a paternal attitude, in which the ICC sees itself as the adult in the room while Israel and Hamas want to destroy one another.

Israel has been lumped in with Hamas, a terrorist organization, while Khan seeks warrants against representatives on both sides of the conflict.

So Germany supports Israel defending itself, but it will support the ICC in charges against Israel when it defends itself?

Prosor makes a solid argument. The ICC’s decision sets a precedent, and Germany is only making matters worse. Germany’s recent actions appear to totally contradict the country’s past commitment to Israel’s defense.

The ICC should take a step back by realizing its efforts destroy any nuance that may be growing in the minds of less than politically conscious onlookers.

If Germany followed suit initially, hopefully they’ll do the same.