söndag 15 september 2013

Angela Merkel svarar på frågor om Israel

Tysklands förbundskansler Angela Merkel har intervjuats av Jewish Voice from Germany. Hon svarade bland annat på några frågor om Israel. Svaren kanske verkar självklara för en del men inte alla politiker skulle uttrycka sig så rakt på sak..
Angela Merkel: The Interview
How do you rate German-Israeli relations?
  ...Israel is still the only true democracy in the Middle East. We want to work together as closely as possible in all spheres and can be proud of our cooperation in culture, science or environmental protection. In development policy, we’re carrying out very successful trilateral projects together, for example in Ethiopia. Another priority is youth exchange. So you can see that our cooperation is rich and diverse. That brings people in the two countries together and makes them colleagues and friends. That’s at least as important as good cooperation between our governments.

 You said before the Knesset that Israel’s security is non-negotiable for Germany. What does that mean in concrete terms in the event of a crisis, for example Iranian nuclear weapons?
That means that we’ll never be neutral and that Israel can be sure of our support when it comes to ensuring its security. That’s why I also said that Germany’s support for Israel’s security is part of our national ethos, our raison d’etre.

 Is anti-Zionism legitimate?
No, not in my opinion. For those who share my view that the Jews as a people have a right to self-determination, Zionism as a national movement of the Jewish people is the embodiment of this very right which its opponents want to deny.

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