Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., March 07, 2008 Adar2 1, 5768 | | Israel Time: 09:46 (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 Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany Charlotte Knobloch visiting the synagogue of the Israelite Culture Community in Munich Thursday. (AP) Last update - 09:41 29/02/2008 German Jewish leader urges Merkel to back Israel's stance on Iran By DPA Tags: Germany, Iran, nuclear  Munich - The leader of Germany's Jewish community called on the German government Thursday to support Israel in the dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear program. Israel's intelligence community has information about a threat posed by Iran that strongly contradicted the "loose" assessment of the United States, said Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The council expects German to support the Israeli view that a hard line needs to be taken against Tehran, Knobloch said after a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to a new Jewish center in Munich. Advertisement Merkel said there were suspicions that Iran's nuclear program "does not conform to the rules of transparency and one cannot be certain, therefore, that it serves peaceful purposes." The chancellor, who plans to visit Israel with members of her cabinet in the middle of March, said Germany had a special responsibility towards the Jewish state. Knobloch said after the meeting that Merkel told her she believed the United Nations Security Council could tighten sanctions against Iran, despite diverging views among its members. The five permanent Security Council members and Germany already agreed on the outline of a new resolution that would impose further penalties if Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment. The West believes Iran is trying to master the technology in order to produce nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. U.S. intelligence reports said in December 2007 that Iran halted the program in 2003. Merkel and Knobloch also discussed right-wing extremism and related anti-Semitism in Germany, with the leader of the Jewish community calling for a ban on the neo-Nazi party NPD. Merkel said her government would do all it could to help stamp out anti-Semitism, but said this was also "a task of society as a whole." Earlier Merkel praised the way Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe were integrating into Germany's Jewish community "We are very happy that we once again have Jewish life in Germany after the terrible history of National Socialism [Nazis]," the chancellor said, speaking Russian, which she learned while growing up in communist East Germany. Merkel used the occasion to hammer on the theme of education to promote opportunity for all. "We are an open country, but we can only be a unified country if we all have opportunity," she said. During the visit to the new centre, Knobloch showed the chancellor around the community centre and the nearby synagogue. The Munich synagogue was opened on November 9, 2006, on the anniversary of the "night of broken glass" in 1938 when Nazis attacked Jews and smashed synagogues across Germany. More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hunting journalists Who leaked the details of a CIA-Mossad plot against Iran? Farming organic At Or-Gani, Israel's organic revolution is taking on new forms.   1.   Israel`s intelligence community has no crediblility what so ever! 00:00  |  Moise 29/02/08   2.   German Jewish? Or Russian Jewish in Germany? 00:32  |  Which is it? 29/02/08   3.   And why should we believe? 00:49  |  Axel 29/02/08   4.   Germany loves Jews and Israel 00:52  |  Wendy 29/02/08   5.   # 1 01:06  |  Axel 29/02/08   6.   Germany, You`re forgiven 01:52  |  Patrick 29/02/08   7.   # good post 02:33  |  robert 29/02/08   8.   As per usual the zionists are trying their well worn tricks! 02:39  |  lakshmi 29/02/08   9.   Absolutely correct 05:52  |  Gordon 29/02/08   10.   @#11 05:54  |  Mannstein 29/02/08   11.   nuclear program 07:21  |  Doubtom 29/02/08   12.   # 5 you are surely knowing that 08:14  |  Kris 29/02/08   13.   Leave us alone 09:29  |  To Patrick 29/02/08   14.   to Lakshmi 09:32  |  MG 29/02/08   15.   to #1 09:34  |  MG 29/02/08   16.   Merkel given another copy of "Schindler`s List" to watch 09:34  |  Clickfool 29/02/08   17.   The German cheating game 12:19  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   18.   easy to explain, why they are in Germany and not in Israel 12:20  |  Bernd 29/02/08   19.   ClickFOOL and his foolish example #7 12:31  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   20.   Oh, really? 13:06  |  Axel 29/02/08   21.   # 1 13:07  |  Axel 29/02/08   22.   Knobloch must decide if she`s German or Israeli 13:20  |  michelmicha 29/02/08   23.   @ Gordon from Vancouver CA 13:29  |  michelmicha 29/02/08   24.   @ Jonathan S. #8 13:46  |  michelmicha 29/02/08   25.   German urges German Jew to pack and leave #15 13:53  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   26.   I do not remember 13:58  |  Axel 29/02/08   27.   For the German whitewasher michelmicha 14:10  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   28.   Gordon, in Vancouver 14:22  |  Jackie 29/02/08   29.   #18 14:25  |  SP 29/02/08   30.   # 13 14:26  |  John 29/02/08   31.   7 MG,so why aren`t you leaving Iran alone?Iran is a country that 15:21  |  lakshmi 29/02/08   32.   250,000 - a Quarter Of A Million - Jews in Germany 16:03  |  so is it 29/02/08   33.   You`re right, Jonathan S # 12 16:05  |  Clickfool 29/02/08   34.   Guilting Germany into Supporting Israel 16:40  |  dan 29/02/08   35.   To Patrick # 6 16:59  |  American in NY 29/02/08   36.   Why is Slowman so slow on Fridays? 18:06  |  Germ Merkel 29/02/08   37.   #19 - You are WRONG about the number of Jews in Germany 18:39  |  Eric 29/02/08   38.   The ZdJiD run Germany anyway 19:18  |  Dav 29/02/08   39.   #9 Just in case... 20:57  |  Tom 29/02/08   40.   # 24 ERIC - number of jews 21:09  |  so it is still 29/02/08   41.   Fantasy numbers given #20 21:16  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   42.   The tragicomedy of German-Israeli relations 21:17  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   43.   You are wrong again ClickFOOL #21 21:27  |  Jonathan S 29/02/08   44.   Listen, Jonathan S 21:48  |  Stein 29/02/08   45.   Dav (26), therefor Mrs. Knobloch pressed chancellor Merkel 01:01  |  Karl 01/03/08   46.   Poor Jonathan 01:09  |  OTTO 01/03/08   47.   admirable 01:16  |  kaled 01/03/08   48.   Rogue Nuclear Nation 01:22  |  Jack Olson 01/03/08   49.   To #16 03:41  |  Gordon 01/03/08   50.   Axel#3 06:38  |  roland 01/03/08   51.   OTTO#46 06:47  |  adam 01/03/08   52.   Only a nation with the brass-necked chutzpah of Israel 10:13  |  Clickfool 01/03/08   53.   New Marker Magazine 13:05  |  Myra Legroux 01/03/08   54.   Only a fool like ClickFOOL 13:08  |  Jonathan S 01/03/08   55.   German discount for Iranian state terror 13:26  |  Jonathan S 01/03/08   56.   knobloch 14:23  |  bastian 01/03/08   57.   #44 Stein 15:05  |  Sarah 01/03/08   58.   How can Germany do what it does? 15:06  |  Jonathan S 01/03/08   59.   #26 Axel 15:12  |  Sarah 01/03/08   60.   Axel 2 15:15  |  Sarah 01/03/08   61.   Berlin-Tehran, an unholy alliance 15:43  |  Jonathan S 01/03/08   62.   Jonathan 57 19:29  |  OTTO 01/03/08   63.   # 50 roland 00:36  |  Axel 02/03/08   64.   Jonathan S the antisemite 00:45  |  Axel 02/03/08   65.   sarah # 60 23:04  |  Axel 02/03/08   66.   And, sarah 23:28  |  Axel 02/03/08   67.   American in NY 05:53  |  Ingrid 07/03/08   68.   To Robert 06:22  |  Ingrid 07/03/08   69.   bastain 06:52  |  Ingrid 07/03/08

Today Online Eight killed in terrorist attack at Jerusalem yeshiva Responses: 196 Olmert: Talks with Syria worth serious consideration Responses: 105 Settlers agree to leave several illegal West Bank outposts Responses: 123 Gaza humanitarian situation said at worst point since 1967 Responses: 225 Soldier killed in strike on IDF jeep near Gaza border Responses: 146 Rosner's Domain Whose Jerusalem Is It, Anyway? Poll: Should Abbas and Olmert continue their talks? An Israeli and a crocodile (WTR) The Israel Factor: What's wrong with Obama? Rosner's Mailbox: Stop focusing on Israel's favorability polls More Headlines 09:41 Jerusalem yeshiva victims named as Israel girds for funerals 08:14 U.S. accuses Libya of blocking UN condemnation of J'lem attack 08:35 Jerusalem yeshiva student: I shot the terrorist twice in the head 07:44 ANALYSIS: Gazans see attack on yeshiva as unusual achievement 09:03 Palestinian medics: IDF troops kill farmer in northern Gaza 02:55 Mercaz Harav - the flagship of national-religious yeshivas 04:36 Defense chiefs warm to idea of multinational force in Gaza 04:40 Study: Israelis think philanthropists give to further personal interests 04:58 Nine black market turtles seized in Bethlehem 02:07 Jewish leader fails to prevent New Zealand auction of Hitler photo Previous Editions Select Day 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb

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