Austria shares responsibility for Holocaust, vising president tells Rivlin

Visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tells President Reuven Rivlin that his nation shares responsibility for the Holocaust, and that his country is striving to ensure that Jews everywhere can live in safety.

“Austria bears shared responsibility for the Holocaust. Many Austrian citizens took part, and we bow our heads in memory of the victims in humility and respect,” Van der Bellen says at a welcoming ceremony at the presidential compound in Jerusalem. “We admitted our shared responsibility too late and that caused problems in our relations at the beginning.”

“Our aim is to ensure that Jews everywhere feel safe. It is our responsibility as Austrians to the victims of the Holocaust to ensure that we live in peace and agreement with Israel,” he says according to a statement released by Rivlin’s office.

At the ceremony, Rivlin thanks his Austrian counterpart for being a “true friend of the State of Israel and of the Jewish people.” The president also tells Van der Bellen that Israel views the Iranian regime as an “enemy that wishes to destroy Israel,” and says that Hezbollah’s “aggression” in the region must be stopped.

The two leaders are scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum later this afternoon.