‘German Chancellor has declared war on international law’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Israel this week. He has come under fire from Germany’s opposition party Die Linke (The Left) over the visit. The party cannot accept the German Chancellor’s meeting with a person accused of war crimes in an international court.

Die Linke party vice-chairman Jan van Ack said, ‘Merz’s visit to Israel is a declaration of war on international law. He is going to meet (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu, while there is an international arrest warrant for this person for war crimes. Meeting with a war criminal is not a normal state visit.’

He also said that the German government stopped supplying weapons to Israel in August, but recently resumed it. This is just a political scandal.

Van Aken explained that until Israel openly supports an independent Palestinian state, no arms should be supplied.

German Chancellor Merz is known as a staunch supporter of Israel. Her government has always supported Israel's right to defend itself against so-called terrorism. The Merz administration has even tried to portray Germany's commitment to Israel's security as a key national policy.

Merz will visit Israel on December 6. There, he is scheduled to discuss bilateral relations, the ceasefire in Gaza and other international issues with the country's Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Al Jazeera reports.