German leader visits Holocaust memorial during key Israel tour
German chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off the second day of her two-day visit to Israel with an emotional tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum.
Israel was established three years after the end of the Second World War. The German government has paid billions in reparations to Holocaust survivors and positioned itself as a leader in combatting antisemitism. Under Ms Merkel, it has been perhaps Israel’s strongest European ally. Accompanied by Yad Vashem chairman Avner Shalev during yesterday’s visit, Ms Merkel took special notice of an exhibited letter that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler sent deployed German soldiers, in which he tried to boost their morale by saying they were fighting “a war of existence, a war against communism and its perpetrators, the Jews”.
She then participated in a memorial ceremony for the six million victims of the Naziled Holocaust.
“The Jews in Germany suffered from hatred and violence that the world did not know was possible,” Ms Merkel wrote in the memorial’s guest book. “What came later is a crime that has no equal – the teardown of civilisation – the Holocaust.”
From there, she went to a ceremony in Jerusalem where she was granted an honorary doctorate from Haifa University, and answered questions from local students.
She also met Israeli president Reuven Rivlin and toured an innovation exhibit of Israeli and German companies with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Today’s market is global and the ability to innovate is what gives us a global competitive edge,” Mr Netanyahu said alongside Ms Merkel. “Each of us does this quite well on our own, but we can succeed much more together.”
Ms Merkel is in Israel for the latest in a series of joint government consultations. She is accompanied by much of her Cabinet, a large business delegation and a new official in charge of combatting antisemitism. The visit is expected to focus on economic issues, with an emphasis on innovation, technology and development projects.
It is the seventh joint government meeting since Israel and Germany established the tradition a decade ago.
Ms Merkel met Mr Netanyahu for dinner on Wednesday night. Their ministers are set to sign a series of new agreements, including scientific exchanges and joint projects in cyber security, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology.
Germany is Israel’s largest trading partner in Europe, but differences have been exacerbated following the election of US president Donald Trump, particularly regarding Israel’s policies toward Iran and the Palestinians.