77 prominent lawyers, in a joint statement cited by daily Frankfurter Allgemeine on Sunday, also called Netanyahu’s possible presence in Germany a violation of the laws and rights governing the country.

They were particularly critical to Friedrich Martin Josef Merz, a politician and the future chancellor, for announcing during the election campaign that he would find a way to invite the Israeli prime minister and for holding a telephone conversation with Netanyahu after his victory. 

The lawyers also condemned the behavior of some universities in canceling the speech of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories.

Francesca, after recent trip, revealed herself that Germany tried to silence her for talking about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, exposing Berlin’s shrinking landscape for freedom of expression.

Michaela Kuchler, federal government’s special representative for relations with Jewish organizations, had accused the U.N. official of having “anti-Semitic content” in her speech.

Several western countries, including Germany had given ambiguous reactions over the ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister, Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed during the Gaza war.

The ICC said in its statement there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, notably by “using starvation as a method of warfare” and “intentionally” targeting Palestinian civilians.

Germany is obligated to execute the arrest warrant but is yet to announce whether it will comply with the ICC’s ruling against the Israeli officials issued in November 2024.

DID/IRN