The German government stated that it "respects the independence" of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but rejects the "equivalency" implied by the decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders at the same time.
“The International Criminal Court is a fundamental achievement of the international community that Germany has always supported. Germany respects its independence and the conduct of proceedings just as it does for all other international courts,” a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said.
The statement noted that the decision by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan to announce that he is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders at the same time has "resulted in an incorrect implication of equivalence.”
“The accusations of the chief prosecutor are serious and must be substantiated,” the spokesperson said, adding, “The Court will have a host of difficult questions to answer here, including in particular the question as to its jurisdiction and the complementarity of investigations carried out by affected states governed by the rule of law, which include Israel.”
The spokesperson further stated that the decision to seek arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh is "logical" given the atrocities committed on October 7 and the treatment of the hostages who were kidnapped that day and continue to be held in Gaza.
Khan announced yesterday (Monday) that he is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.