BERLIN

Germany on Friday pledged continued support for Israel, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their conduct in the Gaza war.

Asked at a press briefing in Berlin whether Germany would continue to back Israel, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said: “Our stance towards remains unchanged.”

The German government has been a staunch 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 controversial arms deliveries to Israel in October, despite international concerns about a genocidal military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The government spokesperson said while his country generally supports the ICC, it has not yet decided whether it would actually implement the arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant, should they enter German soil.

He also pointed to Germany's "unique relationship and great responsibility toward Israel" as a consequence of German history, suggesting this would factor into any decision-making process.​​​​​​​

The Hague-based court announced the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on Thursday "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024," when ICC prosecutor Karim Khan sought the warrants.

The court said it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.​​​​​​​

The onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory, and a deliberate blockade has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.