And how much in
Holocaust
reparations
has been paid to date? As documented
HERE
in July 2007, the
German
government has already paid out a total of around €64 billion (in euros,
which is $88 billion based on the exchange rate prevailing on July 13th,
2007) to
Holocaust survivors.
However, on page 306 of his book
"Jewish Supremacism",
Dr. David
Duke
estimates the total of all
German
Holocaust
reparations
payments to be at least $150 billion
(click
HERE
to find out how to order your own paper copy of
Jewish Supremacism).
Many of these
reparations
to Israel were "in kind" payments, in the form of goods or services. On
the same page, Dr.
Duke
states that "without
German
reparations...,
Israel would not have half of its present infrastructure. All the trains
in Israel are
German,
the ships are
German,
and the same goes for electrical installations and a great deal of
industry...". Later in
the same paragraph, Dr.
Duke
also points out that "In
some years the sums of money received by Israel from Germany have been as
much as double or treble the contribution made by collections from
international Jewry".
Germany Ready to Discuss Holocaust Reparations With Israel
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Israel's Holocaust
survivors are ageing and in need of financial support
The German government remains open to the possibility of reopening the
issue of Holocaust reparations if the Israeli government makes a formal
request, an official spokesman said in Berlin.
"If the Israeli government wants to talk formally to the German
government, we will not refuse to hold talks of this nature," Government
spokesman Thomas Steg on Wednesday, Nov. 14, said in response to comments
made by Israeli Pensions Minister Rafi Eitan to an Israeli newspaper last
week.
"There has been a continuous policy over the past decades that all German
governments have always been prepared to hold negotiations," said Steg,
adding that there had as yet been no formal approach from Israel on the
matter. "In Israel there is now a situation, a phenomenon of immigration
of Jews from Russia and the former Soviet republics to Israel that was not
foreseeable in the discussions in the 1950s and 1960s. It remains to be
seen whether this should lead to new negotiations."
Eitan said Israel wanted to reopen the 1952 Luxembourg Agreement with
Germany granting reparations for Holocaust survivors in remarks published
last Friday.
Russian Jews increase the strain on the state
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Eitan
said events unforeseen in 1952 made previous agreements outdated
The pensions minister said the deal failed to take into account the
longevity of the survivors or the arrival of the 175,000 who emigrated
from the former Soviet Union.
Subsequently his spokeswoman, Elle Baror, said the minister did not wish
to reopen the agreement, but rather wanted teams from Israel and Germany
to meet in order to discuss ways of finding money to cover expenses which
were not taken into account when the original deals were signed.
A spokesman for German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said talks on
the issue were not on the agenda when Schäuble visits Israel on Thursday
and Friday.
Holocaust survivors' associations welcome German news
News of Germany's willingness to address the topic of increased
reparations should Israel make approaches was welcomed by the head of an
association which oversees Holocaust survivors' organizations in Israel.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Survivors need help in making ends meet, says Flug
"We are very happy with Berlin's attitude, which shows continued German
concern for the fate of victims of the Nazi regime," Noah Flug, himself a
Holocaust survivor, told reporters.
Flug added that he would meet Germany's Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück
during his visit to Israel next week.
"I welcome the chance to be able to explain to the German minister the
demographic changes that have taken place in recent years," he said. "The
health of survivors continues to worsen because most of them are over 80."
The most useful aspect on any reparation revision would be if Germany were
to pay towards the increased expenses of Holocaust survivors, Flug said.
Critics say Israel can support its own
The media in Israel has been critical of the expected move to ask Germany
to provide additional money. Many commentators say modern Israel has the
financial clout to take care of the ageing Jewish survivors of the Nazis
without asking Germany for extra help.
![812.ma4.jpg]()
Germany has so far paid a total of
65 billion euros ($95 billion), or about 800 euros per German national,
according to Flug.
