The German Jewish Council has awarded its prestigious Leo Baeck Prize to German Foreign Minster Joschka Fischer for being a friend of the Jewish people and Israel. Fischer was praised for his efforts as an honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as his engagement against anti-Semitism. German Jewish Council President Paul Spiegel also supported Fischer's attempts to shed light on the Nazi past of Germany's Foreign Ministry. Fischer recently said the foreign office will undergo a critical examination by an independent panel of historians to be set up within the next two months.