In a historic speech to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel has paid tribute to victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Merkel told Israeli lawmakers that the Holocaust "fills us Germans with shame", and she pledged to stand by Israel's side against any threat, particularly the one posed by Iran. "This historic responsibility is part of my country's fundamental policy," Merkel told the special session of the Knesset in Jerusalem, which was also attended by Israel’s president Shimon Peres and around 1,000 invited guests.
Merkel said Israel's security was not negotiable and that it was up to Iran to convince the world that it was not building a nuclear weapon. Iran’s acquisition of one would have “disastrous consequences” and “must be prevented,” Merkel said. She received standing ovations after her speech. It was the first-ever speech by a head of government to the Knesset, which is normally only addressed by foreign heads of state. Merkel began her speech with a Hebrew sentence, thanking the Knesset for giving her the "great honor" of addressing it in German. Some lawmakers had boycotted the session.
During her visit to Israel, Angela Merkel also visited the national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.
