Premier David Ben Gurion of Israel said in an interview today that he favored establishment of diplomatic relations with the West German Federal Republic.
The Premier was quoted in an interview with Joachim Fisher, a Swiss newsman, over the Swiss national radio station of Beromunster. The station, which services German-speaking Switzerland, is widely listened to both in Switzerland and in neighboring Germany.
“I would see, with pleasure, the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two states,” Mr. Ben Gurion said. He said that although he was aware that many people in Israel would object to this step, he did not share their point of view and preferred to let “bygones be bygones.”
Mr. Ben Gurion said that he considered that “a meeting with Chancellor Adenauer now would be premature” but stressed that he did not believe the present leaders of Germany were responsible for what had happened during the Nazi regime.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
