Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulate Friedrich Merz and the CDU/CSU alliance on their election victory in Germany. Merz, a staunch supporter of Israel, has pledged to strengthen ties with Jerusalem. He criticized his political opponents for an alleged arms embargo against Israel and expressed support for the country's right to self-defense. Merz also spoke out against the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.