It is an “absurd idea” that the Israeli prime minister cannot visit the country, Friedrich Merz has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is free to visit Germany without fear of being detained under an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the country’s presumed next chancellor, has said. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024,