Fall in Line or Fall Out: Israel’s Attack on Germany’s Envoy Is a Threat to Others - Haaretz Today
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German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert committed the cardinal diplomatic sin of daring to criticize settler violence in the West Bank. His country continues to extend a hand to an ever ungrateful and isolated Israel
Israel is working overtime to deepen its international isolation, while expecting foreign ambassadors posted here to echo the party line of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just as Israeli diplomats do abroad.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s attack this week on Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, revealed not only a striking lack of gratitude toward a diplomat who has repeatedly shown his warmth for the country he serves in, but also a clear warning: don’t dare criticize Israel.
The ambassador dared to note, in a single post on X, two events that unfolded at the same time: the Iranian missile strikes in Arad and Dimona, which wounded over 100, and a wave of settler attacks in the West Bank. That was enough for Sa’ar to accuse him of an “obsession” with settlers and to all but declare him persona non grata.
Seibert is an uncomfortable ambassador for the Netanyahu government precisely because he does his job: he exercises his right to free expression in the country where he serves, as is his duty to do so as a representative of the one he comes from. His condemnations of settler violence are an essential act of moral clarity in Netanyahu’s Israel.
By virtue of Germany’s standing as one of Israel’s key strategic partners, Seibert has effectively become an antithesis to Mike Huckabee – the pro-settlement evangelical American ambassador who amplifies the Israeli government’s messaging to the point where it sometimes raises questions about whom he actually represents.
Two things stand out from Sa’ar’s attack. First: Israel’s ingratitude toward Germany, which has provided consistent support since October 7, 2023 and throughout the war in Gaza. After the cease-fire with Hamas last October, Berlin moved quickly to deepen ties with Israel through a range of sensitive defense agreements, including arms and cyber deals. Seibert, for his part, responded to Sa’ar that Germany “stands with Israel” in the war. It was not enough.
The Foreign Ministry’s official account then accused him of what it framed as an unforgivable diplomatic offense: “a failure to show genuine empathy with Israelis.” They seemed to have ignored his repeated appearances at rallies with families at Hostages Square and at countless funerals in Israeli Gaza border communities hardest hit by the Hamas massacre.
Second: Sa’ar issued a threat. He ended his post by noting that “a new ambassador would soon arrive, one who would strengthen Israel-Germany relations.” The message was not for Seibert, whose term ends this summer, but for his successor – and for every foreign envoy in Israel. Fall out of the Netanyahu government line, and you risk becoming the next target. Be a Huckabee.
What will the next German ambassador in Tel Aviv say when a German journalist is again detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank? Or when German nationals are attacked by settlers and then deported by Israel for solidarity work with Palestinians in the West Bank? What will he say when Israel’s embassy in Berlin launches another coordinated campaign against German journalists? Or if over 30 Israeli-German citizens are again taken hostage to Gaza? Israel demands either utter silence – or unequivocal support.
Israel’s international standing is, for good reason, deteriorating – and a reset under Netanyahu’s government is unlikely. Rather than trying to repair relations with liberal Western states by acknowledging and addressing now-daily settler pogroms, Israel appears to be trying to cover them up.
Netanyahu’s forceful endorsement of Viktor Orbán this week at CPAC Hungary placed him on the same side as Trump, Putin and Europe’s neo-Nazis. This is both a deliberate choice and one that reflects where Israel feels at home, as it actively strains relations with countries like Germany, which is still extending a hand despite everything – even as Israel slaps it away.