Angela Merkel, who has denounced the emergence of ‘another form of anti-Semitism’ from refugees of Arab origin in Germany
Angela Merkel has denounced the emergence of ‘another form of anti-Semitism’ from refugees of Arab origin in Germany.
The German Chancellor made the remarks in an interview with Israeli television on Sunday after an alleged anti-Semitic attack in Berlin on Tuesday provoked uproar.
According the German tabloid Bild, the main alleged perpetrator, who surrendered to police, is a Syrian refugee who lived in a centre for migrants near Berlin.
‘We have a new phenomenon, as we have many refugees among whom there are, for example, people of Arab origin who bring another form of anti-Semitism into the country,’ Merkel told the private Channel 10 network.
In the interview, Merkel said the German government had appointed a commissioner to fight against anti-Semitism.
‘The fact that no nursery, no school, no synagogue can be left without police protection dismays us,’ she said.
Merkel also reaffirmed that Israel’s security was a central concern for Germany because of its ‘eternal responsibility’ for the Holocaust.
But she rejected the possibility that Berlin would follow Washington’s example and move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
‘We must work for a two-state solution, and according to that, the status of Jerusalem must be clarified,’ she said.
The US move has angered Palestinians who see east Jerusalem, annexed by Israel, as the capital of any future Palestinian state.
Merkel during a conference in Berlin this month. In the interview, she said the German government had appointed a commissioner to fight against anti-Semitism
Donald Trump has threatened to restore sanctions against Iran and withdraw from the nuclear deal if his European partners do not ‘fix’ it by May 12
Merkel also reiterated Germany’s support for the continuation of the Iran nuclear deal, which provides for curbs to Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for relief from international sanctions.
‘We think it’s better to have an agreement, even if it’s not perfect, than no agreement,’ she said.
Israeli leaders and US President Donald Trump’s administration think the deal – signed in 2015 between Iran and the world’s five nuclear powers, plus Germany – is too lax.
Trump has threatened to restore sanctions against Iran and withdraw from the deal if his European partners do not ‘fix’ it by May 12.
300 French celebrities and politicians condemn radical islamists and the ‘new anti-Semitism’
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who has joined the call for action against a ‘new anti-Semitism’
More than 300 French celebrities and politicians have urged national action to counter a ‘new anti-Semitism’ that they blame on rising Islamic radicalism.
France has a Jewish community of more than half a million, the largest in Europe, and several French Jews have been killed by Islamic radicals in recent years.
Actor Gerard Depardieu, singer Charles Aznavour and former President Nicolas Sarkozy are among the well-known faces to have supported the call for change.
They joined politicians from the right and left, as well as Jewish, Muslim and Catholic leaders, in signing a manifesto published in Le Parisien newspaper on Sunday.
It urges prominent Muslims to denounce anti-Jewish and anti-Christian references in the Quran as outdated so ‘no believer can refer to a holy text to commit a crime’.
The statement also calls for combating anti-Semitism ‘before it’s too late’ and condemns the media for remaining silent on the matter.