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Chancellor Merkel Addresses Israel's Knesset in Historic Speech

Jerusalem: Chancellor Merkel, flanked by Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, receives applause.
© REGIERUNGonline / Kugler

In a historic speech before the Knesset, Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the scars of the past cannot heal in the course of just two generations. Her appearance before the Israeli parliament was the first time a foreign head of government had spoken before the body. The Knesset bylaws had been changed especially to allow the Chancellor's address.

Before Chancellor Merkel's speech, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik addressed the parliament. "The Shoah is always with us. I often ask myself what would have happened to the Jewish people if the Nazis had not led the Jews of Europe to the gas chambers."

Merkel began her address with a few sentences in Hebrew, drawing applause from the MPs, even though Knesset bylaws strictly forbid it.

The Chancellor thanked the Knesset for allowing her to speak in German, emphasizing that she did not take this for granted. "The Shoah is a source of great shame for us Germans," Merkel said. "I bow before the victims, I bow before the survivors and before all those who helped them to survive."

Israel's security is non-negotiable

Chancellor Merkel did not shy away from addressing contentious issues. How, for example, should policymakers respond to surveys that produce unpopular results? What should be done when a clear majority of people in Europe say they believe that Israel and not Iran poses the greater threat to world peace?

Merkel said she could not understand such responses. She reminded her audience that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still refused to recognize the State of Israel and had no constructive answers to the Middle East crisis.

Chancellor Merkel warned that "if Iran came into possession of an atomic bomb, it would have devastating consequences. First and foremost for Israel’s security and existence, then for the region and, finally, for Europe and the entire world."

Merkel said Germany is counting on a diplomatic solution through UN channels. She told the Israeli parliament that "for me, as a German Chancellor, Israel’s security is non-negotiable."

Strength to make painful concessions

Looking to the Middle East peace process, the Chancellor said, "I am only too aware that unsolicited advice from outsiders will not help the situation," adding that it is up to Israel and Palestine to resolve the conflict between themselves.

But because the dual state vision can only be achieved through compromise, Merkel offered support from the international community. She said that both sides must find the "strength to make painful concessions."

Merkel also ended her speech in Hebrew, saying "Mazal Tov" to congratulate Israel on the 60th anniversary of its founding.

Trip marks Israel's 60th Anniversary

Tel Aviv: Prime Minister Olmert greets Chancellor Merkel with military honors.
© REGIERUNGonline / Kugler

Chancellor Merkel's three-day trip to Israel marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. As the visit was also the occasion for the first German-Israeli government consultations, Merkel was accompanied by seven Federal Ministers.

Before the consultations began on Monday, Chancellor Merkel and the Federel Ministers, along with their Israeli colleagues, visited Yad Vashem, Israel's central Holocaust memorial.

"In the full awareness of the responsibility of Germany for the Holocaust, the German government is underlining, with the first German-Israeli government consultations, its determination that the two governments should work together to shape the future." These are the words written by Chancellor Merkel in the visitors' book at the memorial to the children murdered during the Holocaust.

Concrete projects launched

At the consultation, the ministers launched a number of concrete projects. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Chancellor Merkel signed a cooperation agreement which is intended to step up cooperation in a variety of areas – from research to education and climate protection.

In their meeting, Merkel and Olmert discussed Germany's role in resolving the Middle East conflict. Israel now accords Germany a major part in resolving the conflict, a situation which would have been inconceivable only a few years ago. Angela Merkel and Ehud Olmert discussed this subject extremely openly and at great length.

March 19, 2008

Links

For the future - German-Israeli government consultations (March 17, 2008)

Bilateral Agreements Reached at the First Israeli-German Intergovernmental Consultations; Chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; Held in Israel on 17 March 2008 (PDF)

Merkel Visits Israel in 60th Anniversary Year for First German-Israeli Government Consultations (March 17, 2008)

Government & Politics

Government & Politics