The United Arab Emirates foreign minister visited Germany's main Holocaust memorial together with his counterpart from Israel and vowed "never again" on Tuesday, an event showcasing the two Middle East countries' unusually warm new rapprochement.
A US-brokered establishment of full diplomatic relations between the Gulf power and Israel on Sept. 15 owed much to their shared concerns about Iran, though some in Israel worry the deal could herald sales of advanced US weaponry to Abu Dhabi that were previously withheld.
Both sides have pointed to a sense of reconciliation and mutual tolerance as a driver of the deal – a message that UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan left at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe memorial in Berlin, which he visited with Israel's Gabi Ashkenazi.
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Writing in the visitors' book in Arabic, he called the site "a witness to the fall of a group of human beings who were victims of advocates of extremism and hatred," and he advocated "the noble human values of co-existence, tolerance, acceptance of others and respect of all religions and beliefs."
"Never Again," Sheikh Abdullah added in English – a slogan often taken up by survivors of Nazi Germany's World War II genocide to justify actions to protect Israel and the Jewish people.
Ashkenazi and his UAE counterpart were in Berlin to discuss a variety of issues in promoting relations, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman.
The UAE dignitary's visit to the memorial was in itself unusual: Many in the overwhelmingly Islamic Middle East feel geographically removed from the Holocaust, some deny it happened and others believe it was unfairly parlayed by foreign powers to create Israel in 1948 at the Palestinians' expense.
In his own inscription, Ashkenazi – a former commander of Israel's armed forces – said his presence there alongside the Emirati and their host, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, "symbolizes a new era, an era of peace between the peoples."
It was also a reminder of the need "to live strong and ensure that this will never recur," Ashkenazi wrote in Hebrew.
In statements to the press issued following a closed-door meeting between the three, al-Nahyan and Ashkenazi referred to each other as "my friend" and pledged to continue to work together.
Ashkenazi said the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Memorial with his Emirati counterpart had been a "historical moment."
Al-Nahyan thanked Maas for hosting their meeting and said he hoped the improved relations with Israel would provide "new impetus toward stability and peace" in the Middle East.
Maas pledged Germany's support wherever it was desired.
"The most important currency in diplomacy is trust, and I am personally grateful to both of my colleagues for placing this trust in Germany," he said in a statement. "We are doing everything we can to be good hosts for the dialogue between the two countries on how to shape their future bilateral relations."
Before the talks, Maas said the "courageous peace agreement" between the two countries is "the first good news from the Mideast in a long time, and at the same time an opportunity for new movement in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.
"We must seize this opportunity, and Germany and Europe want to help," Maas said. "I hope that Berlin can offer a good framework to discuss further steps on this path."
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