‘Don’t let people tell you there can’t be peace,’ says German envoy at Jerusalem interfaith march

Israelis and Palestinians are not doomed to be at war, German Ambassador Steffen Seibert tells The Times of Israel at an interfaith march for peace and human rights organized by several rights and religious groups to mark 600 days since the Hamas-led invasion on October 7, 2023, and the start of the Gaza war.

“Don’t let people tell you that there can be no peace and that Israelis and Palestinians are forever doomed to be hostile to each other,” he says. “Don’t just dream, but start by meeting the other side, by listening to them, and by going to events like this.”

Seibert adds that seeing “Jews, Christians and Muslims walking together for the peace that this country and this region deserve gives me hope.”

“It’s it’s only together that something will be achieved,” he adds.

The ambassador says that Germany continues to support Israel.

“This is in our political DNA,” he says. “We know our responsibility for the state of Israel. It’s also a responsibility for the security and the peace of the state of Israel, and we take that very seriously.”