German president says Israel ties solid despite recent spat
JERUSALEM — Germany’s president said Sunday that despite recent disagreement the foundation of his country’s relations with Israel remains solid — a reference to a recent diplomatic spat over an Israeli anti-occupation group.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is in Israel on his first foreign trip outside Europe since he was elected president earlier this year. It comes two weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled talks with the German foreign minister because the visitor chose to meet Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli combat soldiers-turned-whistleblowers who oppose Israel’s rule over the Palestinians.
The dispute has cast a shadow over what would otherwise have been a routine visit to Israel by the German president.
Netanyahu said after meeting with Steinmeier that Israel has a “unique partnership” with Germany. In an apparent dig at Breaking the Silence, Netanyahu said Israeli troops have “moral standards second to none.”