Ron Prosser, Israel's ambassador to Berlin, was arrested Wednesday by the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the envoy made a dramatic appeal on X (formerly Twitter) for the federal government to completely reject the legitimacy of the ICC. Rejected.
Scholz's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit was asked on Wednesday whether the German government would enforce the ICC arrest order against Netanyahu on suspicion of war crimes with the Iron Sword.
Mr Hebestright replied: “Of course. Yes, we will abide by the law.”
German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit was recently asked whether an ICC arrest warrant would be executed in Berlin. His answer: “Of course. Yes, we will abide by the law.” @POLITICOEurope
— Peter Wilke (@peterjwilke) May 22, 2024
On Tuesday, ahead of Hebestrite's announcement, Prosser wrote about X in both German and English: Germany's Staatsräson is now being put to the test, with no ifs or buts. This is in contrast to the weak statements heard from some institutions and political actors. Public statements that Israel has a right to self-defense lose credibility if our hands are tied as soon as we defend ourselves. ”
Staatsräson is a German word that refers to Germany's pledge to ensure that Israel's security is part of its national security and national interests. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared in her 2008 Knesset speech that Israel was part of Germany's raison d'etre, or state.
The ambassador continued: [of the ICC] It equates democratic governments with Hamas, thereby demonizing and outlawing Israel and the Jewish people. He has completely lost his moral compass. Germany has a responsibility to readjust this compass. This shameful political movement could be the nail in the coffin for Western countries and their institutions. Please don't let that happen! ”
This is outrageous! The German “Staatsräson” is now being put to the test, without “ifs” or “buts”. This is in contrast to the weak statements we hear from some institutions and political actors. If we step in, the official statement that Israel has the right to self-defense loses credibility… https://t.co/otONmN1ck5
— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) May 21, 2024
ICC established in response to the Holocaust
The International Criminal Court was established in response to the Nazi Germany's genocide of six million Jews. Germany has donated heavily to the ICC. The possibility that the German government could arrest and deport the Israeli prime minister and defense minister if they set foot on German soil, due to their history with the Hitler movement, has sparked shockwaves in the German media and on social media.
Germany appears to be versatile in its diplomatic messages. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the ICC's request for arrest warrants “gives the false impression that simultaneous applications for arrest warrants against a Hamas leader on the one hand and two Israeli officials on the other are equivalent. “There is,” he said.
Separately, Israeli government spokesman Tal Heinrich, who is tasked with fighting anti-Semitism in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, harshly criticized Michael Blume, a German civil servant who has asserted Israeli responsibility for the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, German anti-Semitism experts said.
Mr. Heinrich said that Mr. Blume had defamed Israeli icon Orde Wingate, had called on the Israeli government to remove security barriers to stop terrorism by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Fatah; reacted to reports that he had expressed sympathy for the ICC case against the nation-state.
On October 7, Hamas massacred nearly 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250.
Heinrich told the Post on Tuesday: Mr. Bloom's past comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war show that he often lacks moral clarity. “
Heinrich, the Israeli government spokesman, added: “It is not my place to say whether he should remain in his position. But generally speaking, when you are on a mission to fight anti-Semitism, you have to be able to clearly distinguish between right and wrong. There is no grey area when it comes to hatred of Jews.”
On Tuesday, when ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he was seeking to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, Blume told ” and slammed it down. Ode Wingate was called the “father of the IDF” by former MK and Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren, who in 2022 posted a post saying Blume “should resign” over the attack on Wingate. told the paper. The IDF also reprimanded Blume at the time. For his harsh criticism of Wingate.
Blume's critics say the timing of Blume's attack on Wingate comes as Blume fiercely attacked Wingate and defended ICC prosecutor Karim Khan against Netnaniv's accusation that Khan's decision was anti-Semitic. attracted attention. Blume also supported Post X, which declared that the decision to issue an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was “correct.”
According to the IDF, Mr. Blume previously “liked” and reposted an asked Prime Minister Netanyahu. Bloom likened the anti-terrorism fence to the Berlin Wall. Brigadier General Amir Avivi, Chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, said: post“It's time to remove Mr. Blume. Instead of standing by Israel during the most horrifying attack on innocent civilians since the Holocaust, Mr. Blume will continue to challenge who the good guys are and where pure evil comes from.” “Israel is building a wall to protect itself.” It's time to hold the Palestinian leadership and Blume accountable to Hamas and other terrorist organizations. ”
Blume's critics say he has been giving talks across Germany in which he places the blame for Oct. 7 primarily on Israel, not Hamas. Speaking to students at the University of Tübingen, he said of Netanyahu: “His government has aligned itself with right-wing extremists and the ultra-Orthodox, has tried to abolish the separation of powers, has divided Israeli society, and has relocated Israeli troops to the West Bank instead of protecting settlers there south of their own.”
Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident and former Israeli government minister, called Blume's posts “anti-Semitic” and suggested in them that Blume was being monitored by a suspected Israeli intelligence company. Blume did not provide evidence.
“There's no question about his actions,” Sharansky said last year.[Blume] Tweet…it’s anti-Semitic. Because it demonizes our people and leads to classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Why should the German government pay him for fighting anti-Semitism is a fair question. ”
Matthias Gauger, a spokesman for Baden-Württemberg's Green Party governor Winfried Kretschmann, declined to comment. Kretschmann has been criticized for supporting Blume's anti-Semitism and for funding anti-Semitic BDS preachers in the West Bank. post report.
on wednesday, jerusalem post We referred press questions to Germany's Foreign Ministry about Mr. Prosol's X-post and Mr. Scholz's decision to arrest Mr. Netanyahu if the warrant is fulfilled.
