Speaking to the Israeli Knesset, German chancellor Angela Merkel has described how her nation remains “filled with shame” over the atrocities of the Holocaust and “bows before its victims”.

Conducting the speech in German, Merkel paid tribute to the recent co-operation and ties between the two nations whilst also making a point of stating that Germany would always side with Israel in the face of their greatest security threat – Iran.

Merkel commented on the “indescribable suffering” which was elicited in the name of Germany during the Holocaust, not only on the Jewish people but to Europe and the whole world in general.

Merkel received a full state welcome from Israel which included the full red carpet treatment. It is thought that the conducting of a historic joint press conference with Israeli counterparts this week signals a new era in terms of Germanic – Israeli relations.
Merkel is the first government head from outside Israel to formally speak to the Knesset although this honour has been granted to two German presidents over recent years.
Amongst the one thousand guests were survivors from the Holocaust together with Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders.

German politicians have resisted confrontational issues with Israel in recent history and in particular have kept a notable silence in terms of Israeli policy in occupied areas of Palestine.

The visit of Angela Merkel has largely been greeted with indifference from the Israeli people, with many people suggesting that this apathetic approach signals a new dawn for the relationship of two nations, whose past continues to influence the future.