JERUSALEM - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday acknowledged her country's "historical responsibility" to Israel as she opened a three-day visit marking the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state.
The visit, which includes a stop at Israel's official Holocaust memorial and an address to parliament, reflects the warm ties that have developed between the two countries.
However, six decades after the end of World War II, a state visit by a German leader is still an emotional event for the Jewish state. Six million Jews perished in the Nazi Holocaust, and about 250,000 elderly survivors live in Israel.
Although the state of Israel was founded in 1948, full diplomatic relations with Germany were established only in 1965. Even today, many Israelis refuse to buy German-made goods or visit Germany.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080316/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_germany_1
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