German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he cannot imagine executing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his possible visit to Germany, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Netanyahu arrived in Budapest today, his first visit to Europe since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over his country's actions in the Gaza Strip. Hungary said today that it intends to withdraw from the ICC.
"I cannot imagine him being arrested in Germany," Scholz said at a joint press conference with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Berlin. The chancellor added that the German government had made its position on the issue of Netanyahu's detention clear.
Earlier today, German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock criticized Hungary's actions. She said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that today was "a very bad day for international criminal law". "In Europe, no one is above the law, and that applies to all areas of law," Berbock added.
German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who is expected to become chancellor, recently said he was exploring ways to welcome Netanyahu to Berlin without violating international law.
The ICC's founding treaty, known as the Rome Statute, requires member states to comply with the court's orders. Hungary and Germany have signed the Rome Statute and are formally obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory.