Israel congratulates German Chancellor on poll victory
ISRAELI leaders have congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her re-election, but her choice for foreign minister is causing reservations.
BERLIN — Israeli leaders have congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her re-election, but her choice for foreign minister is causing reservations.
Free Democratic Party leader Guido Westerwelle, who would replace Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the ousted Social Democratic Party, is a worrisome factor for some given his party’s reputation for criticising Germany’s pro-Israel policies.
In national elections on Sunday, Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party retained its leading position with 33.8 percent of the vote. Talks for the appointment of new ministers and adoption of a coalition platform will begin next week.
Merkel’s previous coalition partner, the Social Democrats, won 23 per cent — its worst showing since World War II. This enabled Merkel to forge a new coalition with her preferred partner, the Free Democrats.
Stephan Kramer, secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told reporters that he would have preferred to see the former coalition stay in power, but added that the Central Council has good relations with all the democratic parties.
In the 2002 national election, a leader of the Free Democrats — the late Juergen Moelleman — used anti-Israel propaganda that many also viewed as anti-Semitic. The tactic failed miserably, but it took too long for Westerwelle to condemn it, some said at the time.
Westerwelle’s party garnered 14.6 per cent of the vote and claimed the No. 2 position. The Green Party received 10.7 per cent of the vote, while the Left Party, with 11.9 per cent, saw itself as one of the winners.
Joss Levi, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday that Merkel had proved a true friend to Israel, and that her re-election had been
greeted in Jerusalem with “great optimism,” according to the dpa German press agency.
“There is a broad consensus that the good days of the German-Israel relationship will continue, or even improve,” Levi said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman congratulated Merkel on Monday evening, noting her “deep friendship to Israel, impressive sensitivity toward the past and the reliability of her commitment to the special relationship between our two countries and our two peoples”.
JTA
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