Israel PM praises Germany ties, silent on far-right gains

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister says ties with Germany will “deepen and prosper” after its national election, without mentioning gains by a far-right party in the vote that secured a fourth term for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in “the right and left and among Islamic elements.”

Israel was established on the ashes of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The two countries have cultivated strong ties since then.

Netanyahu is ordinarily quick to rail against anti-Semitism around the world. But he was criticized for remaining largely silent over President Donald Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists chanted anti-Jewish slogans.