Germany
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the friends and families of the victims killed in the attacks in Halle, Germany, and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” said the U.S. State Department.
“I call on the German authorities to continue taking determined action against anti-Semitism,” says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a gunman kills two people on the Jewish holiday.
Germany’s Jewish community says Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t deserve the World Jewish Congress’s top award, citing support for Iran nuclear deal and inadequate action on anti-Semitism.
Remko Leemhuis, acting director of the American Jewish Committee office in Berlin, said he is “appalled” that artists who glorify terrorism against Israel would be “offered a stage in the heart of Berlin.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the speech, saying, “He who does not stop lying about Israel, who slaughters the Kurds in his country, and who denies the awful massacre of the Armenian people should not preach to Israel.”
The leaders of the three European countries issued a joint statement at the U.N. gathering in New York, saying, “The time has come for Iran to accept a long-term negotiation framework for its nuclear program, as well as regional security issues, which include its missile programs.”
“Germany has to live up to its historic responsibility towards those who, as descendants of Jews persecuted by the Nazi regime, have suffered from disadvantages pertaining to Nationality Law,” said German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
The Nelly Sachs Prize, given every two years by the German city of Dortmund, is worth €15,000 ($16,500), and awarded to writers who promote “tolerance and reconciliation,” and improve cultural relations.
Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, opposes the legislation, fearing it would reduce regional Irish influence.
An estimated four anti-Semitic-related incidents take place a day in Germany since 2001, according to the country’s interior ministry.
“Artists for Palestine UK” pen an open letter urging a boycott of the Pop-Kultur Festival in Berlin due to support from the Israeli embassy.
The passenger immediately filed a complaint, which federal police are probing as a possible hate crime.
