(Times of Israel) Israeli President Shimon Peres awarded Israel's highest civilian honor on Tuesday to visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Presidential Medal of Distinction "was bestowed upon Dr. Merkel for her unwavering commitment to Israel's security and the fight against anti-Semitism and racism, in particular through education," the President's Residence said in a statement. "Germany under your leadership does not forget the painful past, the Holocaust, and does not allow it to be forgotten," Peres said at the award ceremony. "You stand with determination against all appearances of anti-Semitism." He also praised Merkel's tough stance on the Iranian nuclear program. "You stood against the Iranian threat and stressed, 'A nuclear bomb in the hands of an Iranian president who denies the Holocaust, threatens Israel and denies Israel the right to exist is not acceptable!'" Earlier Tuesday, at a press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Merkel expressed strong support for his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jews.
2014-02-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive