Sharon: Germany Leads Anti-Semitism Fight

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday said that Germany was leading the fight against European anti-Semitism, as the two countries prepared to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. "Germany is leading the fight against anti-Semitism in Europe and helps Israel in the cases of (Israeli) soldiers taken prisoner or reported missing," Sharon said during his weekly cabinet meeting. He was referring to Germany's efforts in the 1980s to discover the fate of four Israeli soldiers missing in Lebanon. Officials said earlier that Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom was due to meet Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and other top officials in Germany this week to mark the anniversary of diplomatic relations.