Two leaders of the Evangelical Church in Germany said here today, on their return from a visit to Israel, that they believed Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion would welcome establishment of normal and full diplomatic relations with West Germany.
Dr, Kurt Scharf, president of the Evangelical Church, and Dr. Heinrich Gruber, West Berlin dean, made that statement during a stopover here after a 10-day visit to Israel. They also said they felt that Mr. Ben-Gurion would succeed in that objective, in spite of “certain opposition” which might be put forward by “minority” groups in Israel.
The two church leaders, who talked with the Prime Minister and with Dr. Chaim Yachil, director-general of the Israel Foreign Ministry and former deputy head of the Israel Mission in Cologne, said that the bid for such diplomatic ties had not yet been submitted to the Federal Republic because of fears it would be refused.
They also said they felt that confidence in West Germany was growing in Israel. They visited Israel as part of a group of 30 West German pastors who participated in commemoration rites for Jewish victims of the Nazi holocaust.
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