Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said it no longer excluded detaining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the country.
In a May 31 interview with German newspaper FAZ, Thorsten Frei, chief-of-staff of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), tried to evade the question of whether Germany would execute an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Netanyahu should he land on its shores.
“Currently, there is no visit planned. Therefore, there are also no decisions to take,” Frei said. He continued: “As a matter of principle, Germany respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and its procedures, as well as those of all other international courts.”
In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The decision was criticised as biased by many Western leaders including US President Donald Trump who, in February 2025, imposed sanctions on the court, saying it had “abused its power”.
To many, the new position of the German administration reflected a broader change in Conservative German rhetoric regarding the Jewish State.
On June 1, new foreign minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) announced he wanted to review German arms exports to Israel, saying: “We are examining whether what is happening in the Gaza Strip is in line with international humanitarian law.
“Based on this examination, we will authorise further arms deliveries if necessary.”
Even Merz himself has backtracked on his previous support for Israel.
On May 26, he heavily criticised Israel’s war against Hamas on German public TV, saying: “To harm the civilian population in such a way as has been increasingly the case in recent days, can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism.
“If borders are being crossed, where international humanitarian law is simply being violated, then Germany, and the German Chancellor, must say something about it.”
Merz’ comments were a stark departure from his past standpoint. In February 2025, he told Netanyahu in a phone call he would officially invite him to Germany after assuming the chancellorship “as an open challenge against the scandalous decision of the ICC to call the Prime Minister a war criminal”.
In a May 10 interview with German Jewish newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine, Merz said: “Under my leadership, the Israeli Prime Minister will be able to travel to Germany unmolested.
“I will find ways and means to make this possible. As the CDU, we will never leave any doubt about our close ties with Israel.”
Pundits saw the CDU’s changing course on Israel as part of an effort to cosy up to the traditionally anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian German Left.
Merz’ coalition government with the Christian Social Union only has a slim parliamentary majority. As the Conservatives still ruled out any co-operation with the right-wing AfD party, they have depended on the support of the two other big left-wing parties, the Greens Party and Die Linke, for some policy projects, such as the nomination of judges at the German Federal Constitutional Court.
