Germany's left-wing opposition slams upcoming Merz trip to Israel, meeting with 'war criminal' Netanyahu

Germany’s main left-wing opposition party has slammed Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s upcoming visit to Israel, where he is due to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jan van Aken, Die Linke’s co-chair, called Merz’s scheduled trip and meeting with the Israeli premier a "declaration of war on international law" in light of the international arrest warrant against Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November last year over war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out in the Gaza Strip.

"He is meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu even though there is an international arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes. A meeting with an alleged war criminal is not a normal state visit," van Aken said on Friday in Berlin.

Van Aken also criticised Germany’s decision to resume arms exports to Israel. After a brief freeze, exports restarted in late November, over a month after a ceasefire was declared in the Gaza Strip.

Van Aken said the move was a "political scandal," and stressed that Germany "should not be supplying arms as long as the Israeli government does not publicly support a political solution involving an independent Palestinian state".

Merz, who became Chancellor of Germany last May, will travel to Israel this weekend for his first official visit, with his meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for Sunday. He will be the first head of a European state to set foot in Israel in more than a year.

Among the topics on the agenda is stabilising the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which has been violated hundreds of times by Israel and has resulted in the killing of at least 350 Palestinians.

German media reported that the Chancellor also plans to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Amnesty International’s German branch has also condemned Merz’s visit. Julia Duchrow, the NGO’s Secretary General in Germany, said in a statement: "When the German Chancellor meets with a Prime Minister wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, he must at least clearly address these crimes."

"Anything else amounts to relativising them and weakening international prosecution."

The organisation also called on Merz to "clearly name and condemn of the ongoing violations of international law," to immediately implement a "comprehensive arms embargo," and to declare "unequivocal support for the International Criminal Court," as a way to prevent the "political normalisation of war crimes". 

Germany, despite the intensity of Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, has staunchly supported Israel throughout the war and cracked down on pro-Palestinian activism and protests in the country, arresting hundreds of peaceful activists.

Since the country’s creation in 1948, Germany has committed itself to Israel’s security as part of its Staatsrason policy, which was meant to acknowledge its historic responsibility for the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities.

However, critics have pointed out that this policy has translated into unconditional support for Israel even when it is committing war crimes and violating international law.

Israeli 'propaganda trip' organised for young German 'future leaders'

This comes as young Germans took part in what some of they described as a "government-managed PR operation" where Israeli propaganda was promoted, in mid-November.

The trip, organised by the Israeli foreign ministry, was meant to mark "60 years of relations" between Berlin and Tel Aviv.

The group of some 160 Germans described as "future leaders" visited the Knesset, the President's Residence, the Supreme Court, as well as the Rafael weapons manufacturer as part of the visit, and toured the sites of Hamas’ 7 October attack on southern Israel.

Several participants told the Israeli outlet Haaretz that there was "no room" to be critical of the Israeli government during the all-expenses-paid trip They added they were tricked into giving quotes to right-wing media and questioned the motive behind some of the itineraries.

The young delegates were also "barred" from talking to any members of the Israeli opposition.

A planned tour of the Israeli side of the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing to Gaza which was supposed to include "a comprehensive briefing on humanitarian aid efforts," was abruptly cancelled, among other questionable moves by the Israeli foreign ministry.

A guide on the trip also voiced far-right views to visitors, one participant disclosed to Haaretz, including "disappointment" that the war in Gaza had "ended," and expressed favorable views on extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. 

Another said the trip was focused on security, with "no dialogue on diplomacy, with Palestinians or peacebuilding".