The Israeli Cabinet convened on Monday for the first time in Berlin, the former heart of the Nazi regime, for a special joint session with the German government highlighting the two nations’ strong bond six decades after the Holocaust.
The focus, though, was not on threats gone by but on one that may loom in the future — the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran.
After the joint session, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Iran will face new sanctions if it doesn’t change course on its nuclear program.
PHOTO: EPA
Netanyahu used the occasion to highlight the gravity of the Iranian threat.
“We know from recent history that a regime that tyrannizes its own people will tyrannize the world,” he said.
Germany’s efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions figured high on the agenda and Merkel said her country would back tougher sanctions against Iran if it did not curtail its nuclear program.
“If Iran’s reactions don’t change, we will help work on comprehensive sanctions,” Merkel said.
Germany has long been part of the group of nations seeking to address concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Israel and most of the West believe is meant to develop weapons. Israel considers a nuclear Iran a threat to its existence and has hinted it might attack Iran if international diplomacy fails.
Netanyahu pressed hard for sanctions, saying the time has come to confront Iran’s Islamic regime.
“If we don’t apply sanctions, crippling sanctions, against this Iranian tyranny, when shall we apply them?” he asked. “If not now, when?”
A senior Israeli defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are in early stages, said Jerusalem has recently begun discussing the possibility of acquiring a sixth submarine built by Germany. It already has three, and two more are under construction. Israel is also interested in German-made Meko-a 100 warships. Israeli officials were expected to ask about purchasing technology used on these ships. Israel would then manufacture its own ship with the technology, the official said.
Environmental issues, economic cooperation and efforts to restart the Middle East peace process were also discussed during the one-day visit by Netanyahu and six of his ministers — including his defense and foreign ministers.
The trip was originally scheduled for late November, but was put off at the last moment when Netanyahu fell ill with a viral infection.
The Cabinet meeting began after a joint visit to Berlin’s Holocaust memorial, which consists of a field of 2,711 gray slabs that serve as a tribute to the Holocaust’s 6 million Jewish victims.
Netanyahu signed the memorial’s guest book with thanks for the “invaluable preservation of the Holocaust.”
Israel was established three years after the end of World War II.
Since then, Germany has paid US$39.4 billion in compensation to Holocaust survivors in Israel, 250,000 of whom are still alive.
Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1965, Germany has become perhaps Israel’s strongest ally in Europe.
“Germany faces, without flinching for a second, the darkest chapters of its past it order to build a brighter future for its people and for the world,” Netanyahu said. “It is something we deeply appreciate, something that has momentous historic significance.”
Monday’s session followed a historic visit in March 2008 by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Cabinet 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.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS