Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday appeared to signal that she was turning down the pressure on Israel to push for a diplomatic process with the Palestinians.
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Eleven EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday to debate a German proposal to admit more refugees from Turkey in a bid for Ankara’s increased cooperation to curb the flow of migrants to Europe, European sources said.
Relations with Iran can only fully normalise when it recognises the existence of Israel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.
“Either she has the confidence of her coalition, and so may continue their current policy, or she doesn’t”, he said.
However, most countries in the European Union have shown little enthusiasm for the idea, and the so-called Visegrad Four – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – have openly defied Merkel. He dismissed the French initiative as unusual and fated in advance to failure.
It was the sixth intergovernmental consultations between the two countries which should have been held past year but was postponed due to violence in Israel.
“In that half century, we have built a unique relationship and partnership that has significance far beyond the confines of this hall because it doesn’t only bring tangible benefits to both our countries, but it also gives hope to all mankind”, continued Netanyahu.
Germany and Israel enjoy what may seem the unlikeliest of friendships. “Today we hear same things from the leaders of the world, not only from [U.S. President Barack] Obama [who has stated he no longer believes Israeli-Palestinian peace can be achieved in the coming months] and Merkel”.
“It is about putting into operation a volontary humanitarian admission scheme so that we provide a legal pathway for refugees to Europe and that we share responsibility with Turkey as a strategic partner in managing the refugee crisis”, Andreeva said.
Merck will fund several areas of specialized research at the Weizmann Institute with up to $1.2 million per year for each research area over a three-year period.
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But Germany’s hopes of containing the refugee influx lie in Ms Merkel’s recently brokered deal with Turkey which aims to enlist North Atlantic Treaty Organisation support to police the Turkish-Greek maritime border and clamp down on illicit migrant smuggling.
