A group of German lawyers has filed a criminal complaint on behalf of Palestinian victims against senior officials in the German government, accusing them of supporting genocide in the Gaza Strip. The lawsuit was initiated by German author and politician Jürgen Todenhöfer, along with two pro-Palestinian groups, “Palestine Speaks” and “The Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East.” They allege that the German government’s support for the war on Gaza constitutes complicity in crimes under international criminal law.
Todenhöfer stated that the lawsuit against members of the German government is based on their assistance to perpetrators of crimes, as defined by international criminal law. He highlighted that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is committing serious war crimes.
In a social media post, Todenhöfer emphasized that the German government coalition provides political and military support to Israel, including a tenfold increase in military exports. This complicity in war crimes is punishable by law.
Todenhöfer, a long-serving member of the German parliament and a former criminal judge in terrorism trials, expects a political decision from German courts on this “legal and ethical” issue central to Germany’s foreign and security policy. He urged the Federal Prosecutor not to succumb to anticipated pressure from the federal government, stating that the Constitutional Court represents the most significant hope for defending the country’s Basic Law.
Todenhöfer is known for his criticism of the wars led by the United States against Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, as well as Israeli wars on the Gaza Strip. The Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, in an Instagram post, described the lawsuit as a first step towards legal accountability for public figures who openly make statements about genocide.
The lawsuit was filed in five prosecution offices across Germany, based on statements and social media posts by Volker Beck, a former parliamentary representative and president of the German-Israeli Association, expressing support for the Israeli war on Gaza and conditioning humanitarian aid on Hamas releasing Israeli prisoners.
Beck’s unequivocal support for the Israeli occupation has angered a broad segment of German activists, especially after he filed a criminal complaint against Moroccan footballer Noussair Mazraoui of Bayern Munich for his pro-Palestine social media post. Germany is considered Israel’s second strategic partner after the United States, providing unwavering support since the onset of its war on Gaza, according to the Israeli ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor.
