German President Welcomed In Jerusalem (Photo Essay)

By BJLIfe/Sharon Altshul
Posted on 07/01/21

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin held an official reception ceremony for President of Germany Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is on a state visit to Israel, Thursday morning, July 1/ 21 Tammuz.  The German president was welcomed in a full red-carpet official ceremony, including the playing of the two national anthems by the IDF Band. After, the two presidents inspected an IDF honor guard, the largest assembled at Beit Hanasi, since the beginning of corona over a year ago. The Israeli Ambassador to German Jeremy Issacharoff and German Ambassador Dr. Susanne Wasum-Rainer, diplomatic and religious leaders, attended the welcome.

The two presidents then entered the hall and gave joint statements to the press. They planted an apple tree in the Avenue of the Presidents in the back garden of Beit HaNasi before holding private diplomatic consultations.

“There is something symbolic in the fact that the last head of state I host here in Jerusalem, as president, is you, my friend, President Steinmeier. In recent years, I have been on a journey with you. I, who demonstrated here – just over the road – at Beit HaNasi against the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany, have had the honor of taking an extraordinary journey with you between the worst and most painful points of history of our two peoples share. It was a journey that took us to the extermination camp of Auschwitz in Poland, the darkest symbol of the despicable plan to exterminate my people, to the halls of power in Berlin in whose earlier incarnations the murderous orders of the Final Solution were formulated. There in the chamber of the Bundestag, I delivered a speech in Hebrew. And our journey began – and is now back – in Jerusalem, the undisputed heart of the Jewish people, a symbol of its eternal rebirth and the capital of the Jewish and democratic state,” said the Israeli President at the beginning of his remarks delivered in Hebrew.

The president thanked his German counterpart for coming to the Global Leaders’ Forum in January 2020, marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, saying, “Germany, under your leadership, and under the leadership of the Chancellor, has been a strong partner in the uncompromising fight against antisemitism and has stood firm with us in our just campaign against terrorist forces that seek to wipe us off the map. Even though we disagree, from time to time, on various matters, both our peoples are partners in fighting Iran’s plan to acquire nuclear weapons that will threaten the stability of the region and of the whole world, and in fighting the Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations that threaten the security of the Israeli people. This is also an opportunity to thank you, Mr. President, for your work to bring home Israel’s missing soldiers and citizens held captive by Hamas.”

“Our partnership is a partnership of life,” he added, “for the benefit of both our peoples and for the benefit of the world as a whole. In short, the relationship between us, my friend, is proof that connections between people must be built through people meeting each other, getting to know each other. Over the years, it has been my privilege to meet a leader who is focused and professional, a true patriot who loves his people but does not ignore his obligation to humanity as a whole. I have been privileged to meet someone who is warm and affectionate, intelligent, sensitive, and human. I have gained a true friend. Thank you, my friend. In conclusion, with your permission, I will quote the verse I chose that appears next to the tree that we will plant now in the gardens of Beit HaNasi: ‘For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease’.” (Job 14:7)

President Steinmeier responded in German: “Mr. President, my friend, you spoke about the journey we took together. It has been a great honor for me to be able to walk together with you on that path. We feel like we have arrived in Israel at a time when there is something of relaxation in the situation. We have followed your actions around the corona and can feel how much people want to get back to life. These remain testing times and both countries are talking about the new variants which we are following here and there. The virus will leave us only when we defeat it around the whole world. In Israel, we see a new start with a young and new government. There is a new and broad coalition whose leaders I will meet today. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we have seen missile attacks on Israel in recent months, and that is something we will never accept. Israel has the right to live in security. The future cannot happen without a two-state solution, a position that I continue to hold. What we have to do now is to build confidence between the new Israeli government and the Palestinian government through small steps to build trust. 

On the Iranian issue that you raised, and its stance that that threatens the stability of Lebanon and Gaza, we agree that our aim is to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. It is true that we do not always agree on the way to do that, through a return to an agreement or by a different route. I thank you warmly for your trust in me over the years. I remember the moving meetings between us that became meetings between friends. I will always remember the moving moment we shared at Yad Vashem and the Global Leaders’ Forum. I came at your invitation, and it is not to be taken for granted as a German president. I still remember with emotion how we parted from the old couple who came up to us at the end of the ceremony and said, with candor, that they were against my invitation but that having heard me speak wanted to tell me that they were happy to hear what I said. These are moments at which we understand that we can find ways to overcome obstacles and break down barriers with courage. You are concluding your term of office, but our friendship will remain, and I thank you for all that our friendship has taught me.”

After a visit to Yad Vashem and meetings with government officials, President Rivlin will host the German President at an official state dinner reception at Beit Hanasi in the evening. The Israeli president's seven-year term ends on July 7, 2021.