Israel’s Ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, faced a setback from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government on Wednesday after making a dramatic appeal on X, formerly Twitter, urging the Federal government to reject the legitimacy of the ICC.
When asked if the German government would comply with an ICC arrest order against Prime Minister Netanyahu for alleged war crimes during Swords of Iron, Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, confirmed, “Of course. Yes, we abide by the law.”
On the same day, Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced their recognition of an independent Palestinian state starting May 28, hoping other Western countries would follow their lead. This move led Israel to recall its ambassadors.
“In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a press conference, as reported by Nerijus Adomaitis and Gwladys Fouche.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that the recognition aims to expedite efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. “We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other Western countries to follow this path because the more we are, the more strength we will have to impose a ceasefire, to achieve the release of the hostages held by Hamas, to relaunch the political process that can lead to a peace agreement,” he said in a speech to the country’s lower house.
On Monday, Arab state ministers will meet with their European Union counterparts in Brussels to forge a common path on ending the Gaza war and building lasting peace, a senior EU official announced. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will join the regular meeting of foreign ministers from the 27-member EU, stated Sven Koopmans, the EU’s special representative for the Middle East peace process.
Koopmans mentioned that this gathering is one of a series where Arab and European countries seek common positions on ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Our assignment is to see how we can build a coalition where we try collectively to contribute [to peace efforts] without putting people in a corner,” he told Reuters.
The EU has faced internal divisions over the Gaza war, which erupted following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. These divisions were evident again on Wednesday when EU members Spain and Ireland, along with Norway, announced their recognition of a Palestinian state, while France and Germany expressed that they did not think the time was right for such a move.
