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Foreign Minister Steinmeier Joins 40th Anniversary Celebration of German-Israeli Society in Berlin
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered the following message of greeting at the ceremony to mark “40 Years German-Israeli Society” in the Europasaal of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on March 21, 2006.
Mr. President, Manfred Lahnstein,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel. The German-Israeli Society was founded on this very day 40 years ago.
The Society was set up at a difficult time. The relationship between Germany and Israel was anything but uncomplicated. How else could it be: relations were overshadowed by the Holocaust, the disfranchisement, expulsion and murder of six million Jews by the National Socialist regime in Germany, which had occurred a mere two decades beforehand.
The impact of this barbaric crime on the survivors, of whom many had sought refuge in the young State of Israel, was brought home to me again during my recent visit to Yad Vashem. Nowhere in the world is the boundless suffering which Germans inflicted on the Jews of Germany and Europe during the Third Reich portrayed more vividly to visitors.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Some 20 years after the Holocaust, the German-Israeli Society set itself the task of assisting the State of Israel and its people in a spirit of solidarity, as it says plainly and concisely yet so aptly in the Society’s basic principles. This self-imposed mandate also demonstrated the readiness in the young Federal Republic to take a critical look at Germany’s recent history and assume responsibility for the survivors of the Holocaust.
This obligation is an unalterable feature of Germany’s foreign policy to this very day. We wholeheartedly support the State of Israel’s right to exist and its citizens’ right to live in security. This applies in particular when, as now, the Holocaust is being relativized by some and Israel’s right to exist is being called into question. German foreign policy will continue to shoulder this responsibility.
For this reason, too, we are focusing on the – one hardly dares to still call it this – peace process between Israel and its neighbors. I am aware that with the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections, the road to peace has become more difficult. Together with the US, Russia and the United Nations in the Middle East Quartet, we Europeans have formulated clear criteria for a new government in the Palestinian territories: renunciation of the use of force, recognition of Israel’s right to exist and compliance with existing obligations entered into between the Palestinians and Israel. The decision on what should be done next now lies primarily with the new government in the Palestinian territories. The key lies there, not in Germany and not in the EU. We can only affirm that our goal continues to be a democratic Palestinian state with secure borders and living side by side in peaceful coexistence with Israel.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our historic responsibility also forms the basis of the special relationship between Germany and Israel. We know that our bilateral relations will always be unique. Although they are inextricably linked to the historical dimension, they are also marked by the ever recurring experience of shaping a common present and future.
And we are doing that together in a very lively and productive manner. Why Israel is an important and, at the same time, fascinating partner for us became very clear to me once more during my recent visit: I got to know a densely populated country which knows how to integrate people from different backgrounds and cultures, which has gained a leading position in many areas of research and which has a glittering and creative cultural scene, of which, unfortunately, I did not see enough during my visit.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The German-Israeli Society has always played a very special role in fostering contacts between German and Israeli civil societies. Although I am talking here as a representative of the Federal Government, I would like to quote another basic principle of the German-Israeli Society. It says: "The German-Israeli Society wants to […] help consolidate and further develop the human, cultural and economic links between the German and Israeli peoples. […] It is not enough to leave the development and cultivation of German-Israeli relations to state institutions." How right that is.
For without the activities of the German-Israeli Society and other civil-society organizations, German-Israeli relations would indeed most likely not have achieved their current density and quality. Rather, the intensity of our relations is largely due to the extensive network of civil society ties which Israelis und Germans have formed with one another. To this very day, German-Israeli relations are marked by countless activities in the spheres of youth and school exchanges, within the framework of town twinnings, as well as in culture, science and sport.
The German-Israeli Society developed a host of activities soon after it was founded. Especially during the Six-Day War in 1967, the Society became known to large sections of the German population through its calls for humanitarian assistance, the "Help for Israel". Since 1984, the German-Israeli Society has been organizing youth conferences which later led to the establishment of the German-Israeli Youth Forum. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this project – for one thing which applies to all bilateral relationships is of special importance in the one between Germany and Israel: we need young people to ensure the future of our relations.
We must step up our efforts to make young Germans and Israelis aware of the continued importance of the Holocaust. In doing so, we must keep in mind that there are ever fewer opportunities to meet members of the generation of perpetrators and victims of National Socialism in person. For this very reason, we must devote special attention to fostering understanding between young people in our two countries.
I am therefore pleased that last year I was able to prepare a project together with Ambassador Stein which I regard as one of the central and most important projects for the future of German-Israeli relations. Germany and Israel have agreed to establish a foundation, the German-Israeli Future Forum. With a total capital of some 25 million euro, the foundation will take up its work soon. We are currently working to shape its structures. The aim of the foundation is to illustrate to young people not just the historical dimension of our relations but, above all, its modern aspects.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the German-Israeli Society, I would like to express my deep gratitude and keen appreciation to all active members, all office-bearers and, above all, those who work on a voluntary basis for the German-Israeli Society. You are all rendering a valuable contribution towards the cultivation of German-Israeli relations. You are all helping to make our exchange so rich and intensive.
Let us use this anniversary as an opportunity to draw the attention of people in both countries to the uniqueness of German-Israeli relations and to work actively to further intensify our contacts. The Federal Government depends on the support of well-tested and reliable partners such as the German-Israeli Society in carrying out this task. Let us continue to work together towards this goal.
Thank you very much!
March 24, 2006
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