“Unique relations”
Germany and Israel have together made the impossible possible, says Israel’s Ambassdor Yakov Hadas-Handelsman.
The diplomat has been the Israeli Ambassador in Berlin since 2012.
Mr Ambassador, many Israelis viewed German reunification in 1990 with concern. What is the situation today?
It was not only Israelis that viewed reunification with concern, people in a lot of other countries in Europe did, too. But time has shown that there was, and is, no cause for concern.
In 2015, Germany and Israel are also celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations. What for you personally is the highlight of the celebrations?
For us, 2015 is a significant anniversary year full of highlights. It’s the year we’re marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel with an impressive series of events and festivities. It’s still too early for me to name my own personal highlight as we still have some promising events coming up. But what has already greatly impressed me is the wide-ranging programme of events that Germany and Israel have jointly organised.
How close are the two countries today?
Today, our relations are really unique. Together, we have managed to make the impossible possible. All this could only be achieved by the way the Germans have dealt with the past. I can list examples from all areas of mutual exchange. The volume of trade between Germany and Israel is huge. There are joint research projects in both countries. More and more Israelis are discovering Germany – as a tourist destination but also as a place to live. And the same is true of Germans in Israel. There are lots of youth exchange programmes. Those are just some of the areas, and we hope, of course, that our successful cooperation will become even closer.
