German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial Thursday morning and received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Haifa University.
She arrived in Israel on Wednesday for the latest in a series of joint government consultations highlighting the countries' close bond seven decades after the Holocaust, even as recent developments have tested the tight ties.
At Yad Vashem, Merkel said: "Almost 80 years ago, on the pogrom night of November 9 [Kristallnacht], Jews in Germany faced unimaginable hate and violence. This was followed by the unprecedented crimes against civilization in the form of the Shoah [Holocaust]."
"Germany has a perpetual responsibility to remember those crimes and to confront anti-Semitism, xenophobia, hate and violence," she said.
Her two-day visit is expected to focus on bilateral economic issues, with an emphasis on innovation, technology and development of projects. But looming in the background will be sharp differences in Israeli and German policies toward Iran and the Palestinians.
Merkel was accompanied by much of her cabinet, a large business delegation and Germany's new czar for combating anti-Semitism.
Shortly after landing Wednesday evening, Merkel headed to Jerusalem for dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. It was the third meeting between Netanyahu and Merkel in the past year.
Germany is Israel's largest trading partner in Europe and for the past few decades, it has been perhaps its strongest ally. But differences have been exacerbated following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal – a move that Israel strongly supports but Germany opposes.
Netanyahu has been one of Trump's staunchest international supporters, lauding him for pulling out of the nuclear deal that Merkel and other world leaders helped negotiate in 2015. Netanyahu says the deal does not include enough safeguards to prevent the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Netanyahu's rapport with Merkel has been cordial and even cool at times. Merkel has continued to champion the traditional approach to peacemaking, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state and for Israel to refrain from unilateral steps to undermine its prospect. Germany, for instance, has been among the European countries calling on Israel to refrain from carrying out its plans to demolish a small, illegally built Bedouin village.
Israel has offered to resettle the 180 Bedouin residents of the Khan al-Ahmar encampment a few miles away. But Palestinians and their European backers say the demolition is aimed at displacing Palestinians in favor of settlement expansion and would deal a devastating blow to hopes for Palestinian statehood.
Israel's Supreme Court recently rejected a final appeal against the plans and residents are bracing for the move any day. However, Israeli forces are unlikely to carry it out during Merkel's brief stay for fear of sparking a crisis.
According to Army Radio, meanwhile, Merkel threatened to cancel the visit if Israel were to raze Khan al-Ahmar prior to her visit.
Economy and Industry Minister Eli Cohen, who is expected to meet with Merkel during her visit, told Israel Hayom: "If the report is true, it is a clear, grave and dangerous intervention. Israel is a sovereign country governed by rule of law with a strong and independent court [system]. We stopped a long time ago being a tool for the Europeans to cleanse their conscience."
Regardless, Israeli officials said they did not expect that issue – or Merkel's long-held preference to maintain the Iran deal – to overshadow the visit, which is expected to bring about new economic agreements, the establishment of a formal youth exchange program and a renewed commitment to combating anti-Semitism, after Israel raised alarms over several recent incidents in Germany.
Shimon Stein, a former Israeli ambassador to Germany, said that despite the Israeli government's growing alliances with several eastern European countries in the battle against radical Islam, Germany remains its strongest and most significant European backer.
"These routine consultations have created a symbolism for the relationship that should not be overlooked," he said. "Germany doesn't always see eye to eye with Israel ... but it is the leading supporter of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."
The first joint consultation was in March 2008, when Merkel and her cabinet arrived to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence. During that three-day visit, Merkel addressed the Israeli parliament, in German, and expressed shame over the Holocaust. The 20-minute speech earned Merkel a standing ovation.
