Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged on Sunday that Germany would preserve commitment to Israel’s security, Reuters news agency reported.
Merkel, who is on her eighth visit to Israel at the end of her 16-year term, held talks with far-right Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, saying that coming weeks will be decisive for the future of a nuclear deal with Iran, Reuters also reported.
As Merkel arrives for final visit to Israel, @hrw says that she has long avoided “dealing w reality of apartheid & persecution for millions of Palestinians” & calls on her to “dispense w Germany’s tired talking points & recognize publicly the reality on the ground for what it is” pic.twitter.com/KesgKrDP1t
— Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) October 10, 2021
“I want to use this opportunity to emphasize that the topic of Israel’s security will always be of central importance and a central topic of every German government,” Merkel told Bennett, according to a transcript issued by Israel’s prime minister’s office.
Although Merkel repeatedly expressed concerns regarding Israel’s illegal settlement expansion and consequent violations of international law, Germany has remained a major ally of Israel in Europe.
PODCAST: Palestine Chronicle Editors Interview International Law Expert on ICC War Crimes Investigation (LISTEN) https://t.co/2qubkwjaqD
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) April 7, 2021
In 2020, Germany emerged as one of the main defenders of Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) when the latter resolved that there was “a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine, pursuant to article 53(1) of the (Rome) Statute”.
In February 2020, Germany filed a petition with the ICC requesting an “amicus curiae”, meaning “friend of the court”, status. By achieving that special status, Germany was able to submit objections, arguing against the ICC’s earlier decision on behalf of Israel.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
