AA / Berlin / Oliver Towfigh Nia
Germany on Monday condemned recent statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
“You know that we condemn such statements because annexation, which is illegal, would also hinder a two-state solution,” deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner told reporters in Berlin.
Ignoring international law, the far-right minister declared earlier this month that “the only way to remove the threat of a Palestinian state is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
Smotrich said 2025 would be the year of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. He said he had asked the Colonial Division and the Civil Administration, both of which fall under the defense ministry, to begin preparing the infrastructure needed to implement the policy.
Anticipating objections, Smotrich said: “Although some will protest, including in Arab states, we have already proven, through the Abraham Accords, that when Israel stands firm, it gains support and recognition at home. both the United States and neighboring Arab countries.
He then wrote on X: “2025 – The year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”
Smotrich is not making statements of this kind for the first time. In June, he confirmed reports from The New York Times that he had a “secret plan” to annex the West Bank and thwart any effort to incorporate it into a future Palestinian state.
** ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Wagner said Germany was reviewing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
“We have taken note of the ICC arrest warrant. We are currently reviewing it. We also stressed that it goes without saying that international law applies,” he said.
Germany on Friday pledged to maintain its controversial support for Israel despite the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Asked at a press conference in Berlin whether Germany would continue to support Israel, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit replied: “Our position remains unchanged.”
The German government is a strong supporter of Israel, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly emphasizing Germany’s special responsibility for Israel’s security due to the country’s Nazi past.
Berlin resumed its arms deliveries to Israel in October, despite the international community’s concerns about the genocidal military campaign carried out in the Gaza Strip.
German government spokesperson said his country supports the ICC in principle, but has not yet decided whether it will execute the arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant if they come to stay on German soil.
He also highlighted Germany’s “special relationship and great responsibility towards Israel” stemming from German history, implying that this factor would be taken into account in any decision-making process.
On Thursday, the Hague Court announced the issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between at least October 8, 2023 and May 20 2024 at least”, date on which the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, requested the issuance of these arrest warrants.
In doing so, it also unanimously rejected Israel’s challenges to its jurisdiction under Articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute.
The court said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and crimes against humanity of assassination, persecution, and other inhumane treatment.”
The warrants were issued as Israel’s genocidal offensive against the Gaza Strip entered its second year, already leaving more than 44,000 Palestinians dead, most of them women and children.
Israeli attacks have displaced almost the entire population of the territory, while an ongoing and deliberate blockade has led to severe shortages of food, drinking water and medicine, bringing the population to the brink of starvation.
*Translated from English by Mourad Belhaj
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