Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., November 25, 2007 Kislev 15, 5768 | | Israel Time: 00:16 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck speaking to journalists at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Thursday. (AP) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 22:20 22/11/2007 German minister: Reparations deal not up for renegotiation By The Associated Press Tags: Israel, reparations, Germany  The Holocaust reparations deal between Israel and and Germany is not up for renegotiation, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said Thursday, while on a visit to Israel. Steinbrueck said that the deal is closed and that Germany has no plans to expand it in the future. N Advertisement evertheless, the German minister promised that his government would attempt to assist needy Holocaust survivors living in Israel through the Claims Committee, an international body which grants compensation to survivors. Israeli Holocaust survivors met with Steinbrueck on Thursday to request improvements to the reparations arrangement. Survivors reasoned that the original 1952 accord with Israel did not account for their unexpected longevity or apply to tens of thousands of Holocaust victims who came to Israel following the Soviet Union's collapse. But Steinbrueck rejected the appeal, said Zeev Factor, a Holocaust survivor who took part in the meeting. "He said Germany reached an agreement with Israel on this matter ... and isn't willing to touch the agreement," Factor said, referring to the 1952accord. Steinbrueck told them that if German officials conclude that problems can be resolved within the framework of the existing agreement, then they will be willing to discuss it, Factor said. The German Embassy did not respond to a request seeking comment on the meeting. The German government has said it would be willing to discuss requests for additional payments if Israel submits a formal petition, but that so far, no such request has been made. Finance Minister Roni Bar-On met with Steinbrueck on Thursday, but did not submit a formal request for additional aid, a Bar-On spokeswoman said. Six million Jews were killed in the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, and hundreds of thousands of Jewish survivors emigrated to Israel after its creation in 1948. Germany has paid an estimated $25 billion (17 billion) in reparations to Israeli Holocaust survivors, who, according to Factor, numbered 350,000 to 400,000 at their peak. It also transferred more than $700 million in goods and services to the Israeli government. Today, some 250,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel. They are living longer than was foreseen under the reparation agreement with Germany, with all the added expenses and high medical costs that implies, they say. Also, about one-third of them are not covered by the agreement at all, because they escaped to Russia but did not technically live under Nazi rule, arriving in Israel after the fall of the Soviet Union. Critics inside Israel have said the country should be able to take care of its own elderly survivors without going to Germany for more money. After a storm of protest by Holocaust survivors who charged the government with abandoning them, the state agreed earlier this year to give the 160,000 Israelis who survived Nazi ghettos and concentration camps a monthly stipend of nearly $300, in addition to tax discounts and other breaks. It also approved monthly payments ranging from $40 to $125 for 80,000 Israelis, most from the former Soviet Union, who became refugees as the Nazis conquered Europe but never lived under Nazi occupation. Related articles: German officials deny plans to reopen talks on WWII reparations Germany rejects request to reopen talks on reparations deal Germany says willing to discuss Holocaust survivors' pensions Bookmark to del.icio.us Virtual diplomacy Peres Center to distribute computer game simulating the peace process. Size does matter A giant Israeli flag at Masada breaks world record for largest in world.   1.   Germany: Too Busy making money off Iranian Trade 20:20  |  Elly 22/11/07   2.   Bugger me.....l 21:10  |  Clickfool 22/11/07   3.   Germany is not a "milk cow" 22:14  |  DK 22/11/07   4.   #1 Elly in Vienna 22:19  |  RedBlueGreen 22/11/07   5.   to Elly 22:36  |  j 22/11/07   6.   A splinter doesn`t land far from the trunk 23:08  |  Teacher 22/11/07   7.   Steinbrueck 00:03  |  Axel 23/11/07   8.   this matter should be a closed case 01:04  |  joki 23/11/07   9.   Germany 07:32  |  None 23/11/07   10.   Germany 08:00  |  Mansfield 23/11/07   11.   A 55 year old agreement 08:23  |  Goldberg 23/11/07   12.   @ Teacher 21:37  |  Alex 24/11/07   13.   @ Manfield 21:47  |  Alex 24/11/07   14.   Germany-Moral or Immoral 23:36  |  Moshe 24/11/07

Today Online Gideon Levy: Israel the occupier is making the demands of a thief Responses: 305 Israel welcomes Syrian participation in Annapolis conference Responses: 117 U.K. rights group slams Oxford invite to Holocaust denier Responses: 37 Iranian VP: Iran has produced nuclear fuel to power reactor Responses: 55 Zvi Bar'el: Attendance of Arab FMs is first victory of Annapolis Responses: 49 Rosner's Domain Think of Annapolis as a big party Poll: Can the Israeli-Palestinian status quo be maintained? Annapolis: We can't wait, we have to wait (WTR) Rosner's Guest: the pervasiveness of "groupthink" in the academy More Headlines 00:15 Bush: Annapolis a chance to restart peace process 20:43 Israel to go on high terror alert due to Annapolis peace summit 18:06 U.K. rights group slams Oxford invite to Holocaust denier Irving 21:47 Thousands of Israelis, Palestinians to make peace - virtually 15:25 IDF soldiers kill wanted Palestinian militant in Tul Karm 23:09 Giant Israeli flag breaks world record for largest in world 20:02 Israel placed in relatively easy World Cup 2010 qualifying group 14:32 Minister Ayalon appeals to Shas leader to remain in coalition 17:02 Minister Yishai cancels gov't decision to lift price control on bread 15:29 Hezbollah joins Tehran and Hamas in denouncing Annapolis talks Previous Editions Select Day 25 nov 23 nov 22 nov 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov 16 nov 15 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov

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