Merkel's speech stirs passions in Israel

Merkel's speech stirs passions in Israel

news.yahoo.com

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming address to the Israeli parliament has inflamed passions here, with one lawmaker threatening Wednesday to storm out of the session.

Arye Eldad said he was furious Merkel has been allowed to address the Knesset at all because it is a privilege reserved for heads of state — presidents and monarchs. Allowing her to speak in German, instead of the more neutral English, makes it even more painful, he said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The Israelis have no problem bringing up the Holocaust issue decades after the event, yet they completely deny any kind of abuses of their Palestinian neighbors.

Arye Eldad was mad at Merkel because heads of state are supposed to be the only ones to address the Parliament. What does "Chancellor" mean to you? PRESIDENT/PM dumbass.

Allowing her to speak in German allows for less problems with translation and a more comfortable speech...

"German was the last language my grandmother and grandfather heard before they were murdered. The execution orders were given in German ... I plan to stand up and leave" before she speaks, Eldad said.

Yeah treat her like a child. I'm sure that will solve all of your problems.

Why can't you forgive the German people for what a few of them did over 60 years ago?

Not every single German citizen even knew about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, nor did they want the Jews (and Romas, and Catholics, and and...) to die.

To claim otherwise is IGNORANCE and we try to deny that here.

However, she "also asks for understanding that she, as a representative of the German government and the German chancellor, speaks in her mother tongue, in German," Wilhelm said.

Merkel is not the first German dignitary to address Knesset in German.

In 2000, then-President Johannes Rau broke that barrier, delivering an emotional appeal "for forgiveness for what Germans have done."

Current German President Horst Koehler expressed "shame and humility" toward Holocaust victims in a February 2005 Knesset speech marking 40 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

I found this piece of news very interesting:

The music of Richard Wagner, whose works were played in the Nazi death camps, is barred from broadcast on state-run Israel Radio and informally banned in Israeli concert halls.

So the Israelis ban Richard Wagner's music, who had nothing to do with the holocaust, because some Nazis happened to like it?

Wow, you sure sound like a 'free' people,' eh?


This was equally surprising:

Germany is one of Israel's staunchest allies in Europe and a leading trade partner. It has paid an estimated $25 billion in reparations to Israeli Holocaust survivors, and provided more than $700 million in goods and services to the Israeli government.

You would think after $25 billion in support for the state of Israel, a German President would be allowed to speak to the Parliament.

Nope, guess you have more important things to worry about.


news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3/12/2008 by biggie smalls]

$25 billion reparations? Did the decendents of German homeless, homosexual, and political prisoners get a share too? Jews were just one group of people that were sent to the death camps. What about the Polish, Russian, and Western families affected by the war?

Perhaps the Israelis want some more of this exclusive compensation. Afterall it seems that gigantic sums are up for grabs. A shame it is being spent on laying waste to Palestine.

As to your comments.. right on, brother!

[edit on 2008/3/13 by SteveR]

Arye Eldad was mad at Merkel because heads of state are supposed to be the only ones to address the Parliament. What does "Chancellor" mean to you? PRESIDENT/PM dumbass.

But he is right though. Who is the dumb ass now

She is not the President of Germany, only Heads of State are allowed to address the Israeli Parliament, a Prime Minister is not Head of State either. Merkel is the head of the German government.

Horst Köhler is the current President of the German Federal Republic.

You did know that right?

Understand the German Constitution before bashing Israel

infinite: The German "President" has no powers whatsoever. The Chancellor (Merkel) is the highest rank.

biggie smalls: A few idiots living in yesteryear will not stop her from talking in israel. Most modern israelis are civilized enough to let others talk..

Originally posted by Skyfloating
infinite: The German "President" has no powers whatsoever. The Chancellor (Merkel) is the highest rank.

She is not though. She is still not the head of state.

Just because in America the President is both head of government and state, does not mean all republics are the same. The German President is in charge of dissolving Parliament, like the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Irish President. Merkle does not. The President is in charge of appointing the government, not the Chancellor.

Again, understand the situation before jumping to conclusions.

reply to post by infinite


In wording your right. But the Presidents "power" in Germany is really more symbolic than actual.

By the same token, the British government should not allow Israeli leaders to come to the UK and address anybody. Some of the Israeli leadership still celebrate the bombing of the King David Hotel, which resulted in the murder of British military personnel - a terrorist act no less, but our politicians bow down to them.

What a crazy screwed up world

Just seems petty to me.

I understand the sensitivity of the Israeli's, but its time to build some bridges. Quite simply you cannot blame the current German generation for the actions of their predecessors.

Originally posted by neformore
Just seems petty to me.

I understand the sensitivity of the Israeli's, but its time to build some bridges. Quite simply you cannot blame the current German generation for the actions of their predecessors.

They have to keep blaming in order to extort more money. Keep the planet on a permanent guilt trip with a Holocost museum in every town (paid for by the taxpayers of course) and skew everything to portray themselves as eternal victims.

Originally posted by Britguy
They have to keep blaming in order to extort more money. Keep the planet on a permanent guilt trip with a Holocost museum in every town (paid for by the taxpayers of course) and skew everything to portray themselves as eternal victims.

Rubbish.

I think if six million Britions had been systematically exterminated by the Nazi's we'd be more than a little oversensitive about it.

And yes, I know we went to war with them, and sat through the blitz and all but at the same time we were fighting back as well. What happened in the death camps is a uniquely disturbing and horrific event.

I can't blame them for their sensitivity. I do think that its time for some bridges to be built.

I support Britguy's statement. I was surprised to find a Holocost museum here in Dallas TX. DALLAS??? The land of Beers, Baptists and Bigots? I'd guess the entire Jewish population to be around 2% if that. Why would we need a museum?

Oh that's right, I forgot. Being that we (in Dallas) had nothing to do with a world-event but send trillions of dollars (of our tax money) to a country we helped create and which relies on the power of guilt as the basis of existence, I now see why it's important.

/sarcasm off



[edit on 13-3-2008 by TXRabbit]

reply to post by neformore


I agree. Although I also believe that they'd be better off putting it in the past, its understandable that they can't let it go. Heck, a lot of WW2 veterans here in the US (and I'd guess in all of the affected countries) despise modern Germany and Japan, so the Israelis are hardly alone in it.

Again, that's not to say that I agree with them, but perhaps if we walked a mile in their shoes and went through what all of them did, maybe we would understand why they still feel this way.

[edit on 13-3-2008 by vor78]