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Merkel, who is making her eighth and final visit as Chancellor to Israel before retiring from politics, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Earlier, Merkel visited Jerusalem’s Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.
Read: Visit Tel Aviv, German Foreign Minister Says ‘Solidarity’ to Israel
“After the Shoah (Holocaust) crimes against humanity, it was possible to rebuild and rebuild relations between Germany,” Merkel said, as quoted by Insider Voice.
“I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that the issue of Israel’s security will always be of prime importance and a central issue for any German government,” the German Chancellor said.
On the other hand, Bennett praised Merkel for fostering relations between the two countries. He also described it as “Europe’s moral compass” because of its support for Israel. Prior to the visit, Bennett said he and the German leader were expected to discuss regional security and “especially the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Read: Germany holds elections for Angela Merkel’s successor today
Merkel had originally planned to visit in August but postponed her trip during the chaos of the withdrawal of US and allied troops, including Germany, from Afghanistan.
However, Merkel has no plans to meet with Israel’s current opposition leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. During her tenure as Chancellor of Germany, 2009-2021, Merkel often met with Netanyahu, who at that time served as Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu himself was knocked out of the Israeli prime minister’s seat in June.
(esn)
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