Germany has a new ambassador to Israel. The long-time government spokesman for ex-Chancellor Merkel introduces himself on Twitter. It cannot be taken for granted that Germany and Israel are “partners and friends” today.
Former government spokesman Steffen Seibert becomes Germany’s new ambassador to Israel. The 62-year-old published a video of himself on Twitter and introduced himself as the designated ambassador in Tel Aviv. In the video speech in Hebrew and English, Seibert emphasizes that Germany and Israel are “partners and friends” today. “For us Germans, for me personally, that means so much.”
“After the barbarism and the monstrous crimes of the Shoah, friendship with Israel is not something that we Germans can take for granted,” said Seibert. Germany is “very grateful” for this friendship. Germany has also learned lessons from its history. One of the most important is to stand with Israel and work for the security of the country.
In Tel Aviv, Seibert replaces the previous ambassador, Susanne Wasum-Rainer, who had her last working day there at the end of June. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had already reported in March that the former ZDF television journalist was to become the new ambassador to Israel.
Previously, he was Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman from 2010 to 2021. After going in and out there every day for eleven years, for him the Chancellery is again “actually like a building from the ‘Tagesschau'”, he said in April in a conversation on the occasion of a non-fiction presentation by ZDF-“heute journal” moderator Marietta Slomka said. “It was easy, it’s over. And now it’s something again, what I see with Marietta on the show.” Seibert said: “I would have thought that I was more emotional there.” After a few months break, he now has a new job in Israel.
