Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday he had invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit and would find a way for him to do so without being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court.

Friedrich Merz says ‘absurd’ an Israeli PM can’t visit Germany as Netanyahu faces warrant on Gaza war crime allegations.

After an election dominated by immigration and economic issues, Germany’s likely new chancellor is Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats. His party finished first with just under 29 percent of the vote and will need to form a coalition government.

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.

Friedrich Merz vows to 'find a way' for PM to travel to and from Germany without arrest; premier hails Merz for 'openly defying ICC's scandalous decision' to accuse him of war crimes

The Christian Democrats won with 28.6% of the vote while the far-right Alternative for Germany came second with 20.8%.