(JNS.org) German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Friday, May 17 and emphasized his country “stands alongside Israel.”  Neither Westerwelle nor Netanyahu referred to Germany’s recent decision to vie for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2018, alongside Israel’s bid to do the same. Israeli leaders saw the move as weakening Israel’s own chances of getting a first-time seat, at a time when the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is trying to delegitimize Israel, making an Israel victory over Germany in a UN vote for the seat unlikely.  Even though Germany on the surface seems to be very considerate of Israeli security, there is “not the same kind of attention and sensitivity to Israel’s battle for international legitimacy,” an Israeli diplomatic official said, according to the Jerusalem Post. The German foreign minister will also meet with Palestinian leaders on Saturday.