Merkel tells Israelis of German 'shame'

by Dave Keating | March 19, 2008 at 12:11 am

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Angela Merkel is the first German leader to visit the Knesset, and she was surprisingly emphatic in her pledge to defend Israel and protect the country from Iran. Her language toward Iran was strikingly hostile.

Angela Merkel on Tuesday became the first German chancellor to address the Israeli Parliament, crowning a three-day visit intended to upgrade ties between the two countries.

The Merkel visit was seen as highly symbolic by both sides, as the Jewish state prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its establishment against the background of the Holocaust.

Paying tribute to the "special relationship" between Israel and Germany, Merkel said that the Nazi genocide filled Germans "with shame."