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Speech by Dr. Helmut Kohl Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of the State of Israel on May 7, 1998 at the Schauspielhaus, Berlin Ambassador Primor, I am very happy to have been invited to be with you here today in Berlin to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. This is a very special occasion, also for us Germans. I would like to express my warmest congratulations to the citizens of Israel, also on behalf of my compatriots, and to wish you God's blessing on this anniversary. Over the last five decades, and under extremely difficult conditions, you have made Israel into a country of impressive dynamism and vitality. You can be proud of this achievement. The return from the Diaspora meant the fulfilment of an ancient wish that Theodor Herzl turned into a concrete vision more than a century ago. He believed that a state would soon be established which would offer a common home to Jews from all around the world. Herzl and many of his companions thought that the people in this community would communicate in the language of Moses Mendelssohn and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. For them, it would have been inconceivable that just a few decades later the Gean language would become the language of the most vicious persecutors of millions of Jews. The newly founded State of Israel offered a new home to the Jews who had been able to escape the Shoah. No commemoration of the foundation of Israel can be separated from the memory of the crimes committed against Jews by the Nazis and their henchmen. The relationship of Germany to Israel will therefore always be a special one that is and will continue to be marked by memories of the shoah. Nearly sixty years ago, the synagogues in Germany were aflame. The persecution of the Jews entered a new dimension in the pogroms during the night of November 9,and culminated in the horrors of the Shoah. The suffering inflicted on Jews in the National Socialist period is an inextinguishable part of the history of Judaism; it is also an inextinguishable part of German history. We Germans must not and do not want to forget the barbarism of National Socialism and the unspeakable suffering of its victims. We cannot simply shrug off the history of the nation we were born into. Instead, we can and must learn lessons from the past for shaping the present and the future. The most important lesson is that peace between individuals and nations begins with unconditional respect for the dignity of others. A free democracy depends not least on the willingness of its citizens to take a determined stand in resisting political extremism in whatever form it appears. Ladies and Gentlemen, The foundations of the modern State of Israel were laid by great men and women. David Benis seen worldwide as a symbol of that founding generation. What they achieved can best be explained in the words of Ben Gurion himself, who said that anyone in Israel who did not believe in miracles was not a realist. He dreamt of "making the desert bloom," a dream which has come true. It made a very strong impression on me when I visited his grave in Sde Boker in the Negev Desert in June 1995. Israel's founders tackled the enormous problems associated with the founding of the state with unshakeable courage, admirable diligence and great farsightedness. Their exemplary attitude influenced later generations and made a decisive contribution to Israel's success story. Israel has in the last fifty years experienced an enormous economic upturn. Your country is setting standards in the field of scientific research and advanced technology. Israel's social development, too, is impressive. In this small country, with a population that has increased ten-fold since 1948, the integration of people from diverse countries and cultures has been and continues to be a unique achievement. We Germans feel special gratitude that steps were taken shortly after the founding of the state to achieve a rapprochement between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany, steps which have developed into intensive relations between our two countries. It was anything but a matter of course for Jews to turn towards Germany so soon after the Shoah. Nahum Goldmann and David Ben Gurion were prepared to overcome their feelings of bitterness and rejection for the sake of a better future. They found people in all the democratic parties of the Federal Republic of Germany who were sincerely willing to face up to the responsibility for the past. In a declaration to the German Bundestag on September 27, 1951, Konrad Adenauer said it was the primary duty of the German people to revive and make fruitful once more the spirit of true humanity in their relations with the State of Israel and the Jewish people. In contrast to the communist regime in the GDR, those in positions of political responsibility in the Federal Republic of Germany were always aware of their special duties towards Israel. One of the first steps on the way to German-Israeli understanding was the restitution agreement of 1952. We all know that suffering and tears, pain and death cannot be made good. But the Federal Republic of Germany was at least able to make a material contribution to Israel's fledgling economy at a difficult time. Cooperation, mainly economic and technical at first, created the basis for person-to-person contacts, which often developed into friendships. The cooperation between scientists and scholars also led to numerous personal ties between Germans and Israelis. The network of personal relations has become ever closer in the course of time. For me it represents the real treasure of German-Israeli relations. Every year thousands of German business people, voluntary assistants, German pilgrims and also vacationers, many of them many young people, seek a personal encounter with your country and its people. But Israelis and Germans do not meet only in Israel. Many Israelis also visit Germany within the framework of the numerous sister-city and exchange programs. Many events are taking place inhere in Germany to commemorate the state's anniversary, offering very special opportunities for Israelis and Germans to meet. Many Germans take a very active interest in Israel's destiny. While they are well aware of what happened over fifty years ago, they also greatly admire Israel as a modern, pluralist democracy. They are willing to face up to the past honestly, but they also wish to see the Federal Republic of Germany's democratic stability and its contribution to peace in the world being recognized. I am especially thankful that a lively Jewish community has once again developed in Germany. The membership of the Jewish communities has more than doubled since 1990. This makes me very happy, because it is my wish for synagogues in Germany not only to be places of historical remembrance but to increasingly become places of contemporary Jewish life. I am also grateful to the many people who, after the experience of the Shoah, were and continue to be committed to dialogue and understanding between Christians and Jews. I would like to mention the pioneering contribution of Martin Buber in this connection. Reconciliation is based on a highly personal, free choice which nobody can force another person to make. It does not happen on command. It is all the more amazing that it has been possible to build so many lasting bridges across the abyss of the past. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Israel are today engaged in intensive cooperation in nearly every field. The relations between the two countries have matured into a sincere friendship in the course of time. I would like to emphasize today the key role that Israeli ambassadors to Germany and German ambassadors to Israel have always played in the history of the ties between our states ever since we took up diplomatic relations in 1965, and to mention especially our host, His Excellency Mr. Primor. Your own life, Mr. Primor, which you have described so impressively in your recently published book, in many ways reflects the process of rapprochement between our two countries. Germany and Israel, despite all their differences, have much in common.
We are committed to the same basic values. For both of our countries,
democracy, the rule of law and freedom are the pillars of peaceful coexistence.
Although German-Israeli relations are affected by the past, they are also
always very much directed to common goals for the future. Yet despite all their differences, Jews, Christians and Muslims are bound by deep common roots. Their cooperation is vital to world peace in the 21st century. Following the end of the East-West conflict, an awareness has grown in Europe and the Middle East that in the world of tomorrow, the two regions will be much more interdependent than hitherto. Peace, economic development and social stability are thus common concerns. Alongside the United States of America, the European Union has long been making efforts to contribute in a variety of ways to the success of the Middle East peace process. There must be an end to hatred, violence, suffering and expulsion. That requires both a willingness to come to an agreement and to resolutely combat terrorism, whatever its form. We unconditionally support Israel's security, and we also see the legitimate interests of its neighbors, in particular the Palestinians'. The Oslo peace process has shown, despite some setbacks, that with good will and the requisite farsightedness, a sensible balance of Israeli and Arab interests is possible. Only if the accords reached at Oslo are implemented step-by-step will there be a lasting peace in the region. I am confident that the current Israeli government will continue down this road. This has been my impression in many talks with Prime Minister Netanjahu. The European Union cannot, with all its support for the peace process, take the place of the parties involved in showing willingness to come to a just and lasting solution. It is, in our view, particularly important that dialogue is maintained, especially in difficult situations. I was delighted when our unforgotten friend, Yitzhak Rabin, spoke in
the summer ofof the overcoming of German division as an example for the
peace process in his own region. He said: "The walls which you have
broken down, the barbed wire fences which you have torn down, the mine
fields which you have cleared, are examples of what might happen and what
should happen here in the Middle East." The united Germany will continue to do everything in its power to contribute bilaterally and together with its partners to a peaceful and prosperous development in the Middle East. It seems to me to be vitally important to help reduce the enormous social tensions in this region. Ladies and Gentlemen, The first Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, declared right at the beginning of his term in office that it was the goal of his foreign policy to seek understanding above all with France, Poland and Israel. I see myself as being under precisely the same obligation to work towards this goal, as all my predecessors in the position of Federal Chancellor have done. Israel will continue to find in Germany a loyal friend and supporter. We will continue to work in the European Union for Israel's interests with great commitment. At my suggestion, the European Union decided in Essen in 1994 to give Israel the status of a privileged partner. I will continue to ensure that this special relationship between the European Union and Israel is made even more dynamic. Europe and Israel have much to give one another, not only in economic and political terms. I am convinced that also the cultural relations and links between Europe and Israel will play an ever more important role. European culture is also rooted in Judaism, just as some of the historic roots of the State of Israel are to be found in Europe. "If you don't believe in miracles, you're not a realist." It was your founding generation, citizens of Israel, who gave you this message to help you on your way. I wish for you with all my heart that, as we enter the 21st century, you do not lose faith in what seems to be impossible. The Federal Republic of Germany will stand beside you, if you want us to, in realizing your hopes. We are aware of our special responsibility towards Israel. That was true in the past, it is true now and it will be true in the future. German Information Center |
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