German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Israel on Thursday and met with his Israeli counterpart President Reuven Rivlin at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
The reception ceremony for the German leader is the last official state function for Rivlin, whose term ends on July 9.
At the ceremony, Steinmeier said that Germany is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He also condemned missile attacks on Israel by Gaza-based terror groups, saying that that is “something we will never accept.”
Official reception for the President of Germany. Join the live stream from Beit HaNasi. https://t.co/stW3WTP84m
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) July 1, 2021
Rivlin warmly welcomed Steinmeier, praising him as an ally in combatting antisemitism. “Germany has been our strong partner in the uncompromising fight against antisemitism and has stood with Israel against the forces of terror who seek to wipe us off the map.”
Planting a tree with my friend President Steinmeier of #Germany in the garden of Beit NaNasi as part of today's official reception in his honor.
'For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender shoots will not cease.' (Job 14:7) pic.twitter.com/kFSmbJA2eB
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) July 1, 2021
Nazi Germany and its collaborators murdered 6 million European Jews in the Holocaust. Germany’s postwar leaders have repeatedly apologized for the Nazi atrocities and it has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations to Jewish victims. Israel and Germany have developed close ties in recent years.
During a solemn visit to Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Steinmeier said the “unspeakable suffering” caused in Germany’s name “fills us with pain and shame.”
Remember and never forget.
Wreath-laying ceremony with the President of Germany at the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem. pic.twitter.com/uLIK5I5teN
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) July 1, 2021
“We will keep the memory of this alive for the sake of those who were murdered and for the sake of future generations,” he said.
Germany launched a new initiative with the United States last week to stem an alarming rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial around the world.
The U.S.-Germany Holocaust Dialogue seeks to reverse the trend, which gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in political populism across Europe and the U.S. The dialogue creates a way to develop educational and messaging tools to teach youth and others about the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)
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One Response
Accepting missile attacks on civilians is criminal. Not only should Germany not accept it, but neither should any other nation. However, what is any nation besides Israel going to do about stopping it when, as we recently saw, hundreds and thousands of missiles are launched?