Current sectionIsrael NewsShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeOutgoing German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert as an event calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza in October 2024, in Tel Aviv. Credit: Moti MilrodSteffen Seibert's first and last diplomatic posting saw him become an unusually public envoy – from hostage rallies to criticism of settler violence – making him a target for Netanyahu's government. He says he still loves Israel, but that political forces are jeopardizing what he loves about itVera Weidenbach08:24 PM • July 02 2026 IDTGerman Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert left Israel this week after four years of service, during which he earned the admiration of many in Israeli civil society and sometimes found himself at odds with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:GermanyHamas hostagesIsraeli politicsCease-fire/hostage release talksCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesU.S.-IranGazaU.S. EmbassyIsrael ElectionsBaby HitlerHaQuizHaaretz PodcastKnesset Debate Heats Up Over Climate-engineering Conspiracy ClaimsA Thousand Days of Netanyahu's Repulsive Revisionism About October 7'Unlawful': Israeli City Bars Municipal Staff From Political Election ActivityIsrael Has Long Ignored Warnings of a 'Diplomatic Tsunami.' Now It Has ArrivedKnesset Advances Bill Allowing Police to Search for Weapons Without WarrantRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAdvanced Israeli Systems Sold to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Documents and Images ShowIsrael 2026 Election Poll Tracker: The Latest ProjectionsA Collapsing Society: Israel Suffers National Mental Crisis Due to the WarWhy Israelis Should Stop Being Afraid of Mamdani-backed Brad LanderSettlers Tried to Torch Palestinian Homes. They Messed With the Wrong Village103 Nails on the Map: How Israel's Government Is Burying the Two-state Solution