President Reuven Rivlin, who is currently in the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden, will return to Israel in time to host a state dinner on Thursday for his good friend German President Frank Walter Steinmeier. It will be the final state dinner of Rivlin’s tenure.
Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, are due to arrive in Israel on June 30 on a state visit that will conclude on July 2.
When he was in Israel in January 2020, Steinmeier announced he would soon be back on a state visit timed to coincide with Israel’s 72nd Independence Day. That visit did not eventuate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Israel, Steinmeier and Rivlin flew together to Poland to participate in the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp and subsequently traveled together to Germany.
In his youth, Rivlin was staunchly opposed to Israel entering into diplomatic relations with Germany and even participated in demonstrations against such a move.
Rivlin has since developed a far more positive attitude toward Germany and paid a state visit there in 2015, when he met with Steinmeier’s predecessor, Joachim Gauck.
During his seven years in office, Rivlin has hosted outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has met with various high-ranking German officials and has received the credentials of German ambassadors, whom he has also hosted at Independence Day and Rosh Hashanah receptions.
Steinmeier came on a previous state visit in 2017. He and Rivlin got along so well that they cast formalities aside and went on a nighttime tour of Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda market, where they sat down for a meal and a beer.
Steinmeier was no stranger to Israel. Although this was his first visit as president, he had made 11 previous visits as foreign minister. He is arguably one of Israel’s best friends in Europe.
Last November, Steinmeier and Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen participated with Rivlin in a joint video broadcast marking the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht.
At that time, Steinmeier, in reference to growing antisemitism in Germany, said he was ashamed that Jews do not feel safe wearing a kippah in the streets of Germany.
“We cannot stop at describing our reality, however painful it may be,” he said. “We need to act. I am grateful that public authorities across Germany are shouldering their responsibility by increasing police protection for synagogues [and] by cracking down on acts of antisemitism with the full force of the law.
“This is the reason why I am addressing you this evening. I want to renew the pledge I gave to you at Yad Vashem: We are fighting antisemitism. We are protecting Jewish life. We are standing with Israel.”
This March, Steinmeier and Rivlin met face to face in Germany. Rivlin, accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, was on an emergency mission to Germany, Austria and France to speak to the presidents of those countries about the dangers posed by a nuclear Iran and to urge them to take a unified stand with Israel.
This Thursday morning, Rivlin will host a welcoming reception for Steinmeier and a state dinner in the evening.
Steinmeier said he was looking forward to meeting Israel’s new government ministers with an aim to honor and strengthen the friendship and special partnership between the two countries.
While in Israel, he will participate in talks on the future of Israeli society and shared challenges, which is one of Rivlin’s favorite topics of conversation.