Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz told Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that he would invite him to Germany in defiance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Israeli prime minister's office said on Monday.
German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz, Reuters/Angelika Warmuth
Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz told Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that he would invite him to Germany in defiance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Israeli prime minister's office said on Monday.
In a phone call after Merz's conservative party won most votes in a national election on Sunday, Netanyahu congratulated the German, said the Israeli's office.
It added that Merz told Netanyahu he would invite him to Germany "in defiance of the scandalous International Criminal Court decision to label the Prime Minister a war criminal".
A spokesperson for Merz's conservative CDU party confirmed the two had spoken by phone after the election but declined to comment on the substance of the conversation.
Germans feel a special responsibility towards Israel due to the legacy of the Holocaust, and Merz has made clear he is a strong ally.
However, Germany is also a signatory of the ICC.
ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.
Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes.
Reporting by James Mackenzie and Andreas Rinke
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet for U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.