German President Joachim Gauck on Tuesday began his first official trip to the Middle East with a visit to Israel, where he met his counterpart Shimon Peres and visited the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, dpa reported.
Gauck, accompanied by his partner Daniela Schadt, arrived late Monday for a three-day visit, which will also take in the Palestinian territories.
He is due to meet with survivors of the attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games by the Palestinian group Black September.
Gauck's itinerary also includes a meeting with Israeli author and peace activist David Grossman.
He meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and talks with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are also on the agenda.
On Thursday, the German president is to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
In a statement issued on the eve of the trip, Gauck, who took office in March after the resignation of Christian Wulff over corruption allegations, said: "This state visit emphasizes the eternal special relationship between Germany and Israel."