German Chancellor Olaf Scholz kicked off a visit to Israel on Wednesday, briefly leaving Europe as the continent�s largest ground war in generations rages between Russia and Ukraine.

Scholz arrived in Israel Tuesday evening and will return to Germany later Wednesday in a visit � his first to Israel since becoming German leader � that was planned before the fighting erupted. He toured Israel�s Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the two were set to hold a press conference later in the day.

His visit comes as Russia�s assault on Ukraine continued for a seventh day, and as Western countries have rallied together against the incursion.

The war has prompted historic changes to Germany�s defense policies. The German government said Saturday it will send anti-tank weapons and surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine � abandoning its long-held refusal to export weapons to conflict zones in a historic break with its post-World War II foreign policy.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited @YadVashem.

PM Bennett: "Even today, 80 years after the war, there is no Jew who does not carry within him the memory of his six million brothers and sisters." pic.twitter.com/Mk9np0Tsxk

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 2, 2022

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz visited the @YadVashem Holocaust History Center:
"Thank you for your visit here and for your commitment to the memory of the Holocaust and to the Jewish people."https://t.co/AtKeZ95yIe pic.twitter.com/wYCudmSRMQ

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 2, 2022

Berlin also announced it is committing 100 billion euros to a special fund for its armed forces, raising defense spending above 2% of GDP � a measure on which it had long lagged.

In the decades following the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany killed 6 million Jews, Germany and Israel have become staunch allies. The countries� Cabinets hold regular joint sessions, and Germany is Israel�s most important trade partner in the European Union.

But Germany, like much of Europe, is at odds with Israel when it comes to the Palestinian issue. Germany has called for a Palestinian state alongside Israel and opposes Israel�s settlement activities in the West Bank. Germany is also among world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program.

(AP)