Israeli, German officials attend historic government meeting

VIDEO - The government held a special session Monday, in honor of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "This is an unusual, landmark event in the history of Israeli-German relations," said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the beginning of the meeting, which took place after the German mission visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. "This is the first time the Israel government is sitting across from the German chancellor and the senior members of the German government… this reflects the two's desire to maintain an unusual relationship," noted Olmert. From an historical point of view, Monday's meeting was the first of its kind, with nine corresponding ministers from both Israel and Germany taking part. As the meeting began, Olmert addressed the situation in southern Israel: "Israel is committed to doing everything in its power to protect its citizens and we will continue to hinder Hamas' efforts to harm us. Press conference video courtesy of infolive.tv "At the same time and regardless of the (security) situation, we will continue to push the peace process between us and the pragmatists, headed by Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas). "These negotiations are not by default," continued Olmert, "and we're forging ahead with them because we believe there is a chance to reach an agreement." In a press conference held after the meeting, the German chancellor reiterated Germany's commitment to Israel's safety: "(Obviously) the situation makes negotiating with the Palestinians difficult," said Merkel. "The rocket fire of southern Israel, as the continuous building in of settlements, make the process harder." During the joint government meeting, Olmert stressed Israel has no interest in a conflict with Syria, but would much rather pursue avenues of peace, which may lead to Syria breaking away from the axis of evil. An historic first. The Knesset plenum (Photo: AP) Iran, he added, is a constant concern: "We are convinced that Iran is continuing its mission to develop nuclear weapons, which is more than enough to destabilize the region," said Olmert. Addressing the Iranian threat, Merkel said she believed the Iran must exercise transparency, adding that the international community must "continue pressuring it to do so." Future Israeli-German relations must make room for memories, concluded the PM, if only to ensure the future will be different.

Israeli, German officials attend historic government meeting

(Video) For first time ever, government holds session where nine corresponding ministers from Israel, Germany take part. Merkel reiterates Germany's commitment to Israel's safety, says Iran must exercise transparency