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New German envoy to Israel begins term with Yad Vashem visit

Alexander Lambsdorff marked his initial official engagement as Berlin’s ambassador-designate by highlighting Germany’s historical responsibility.

Ambassador-designate of Germany to Israel Alexander Lambsdorff (left) shakes hands with Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan during Lambsdorff’s first official visit to the Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, July 27, 2026. Credit: Germany Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Ambassador-designate of Germany to Israel Alexander Lambsdorff (left) shakes hands with Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan during Lambsdorff’s first official visit to the Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, July 27, 2026. Credit: Germany Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Germany’s ambassador-designate to Israel, Alexander Lambsdorff, visited Yad Vashem on Monday for his first official engagement, emphasizing Berlin’s historical responsibility toward Israel and the Jewish people.

“In Yad Vashem for my first official visit. Remembering the Shoah, I feel the responsibility that emerges from Nazi Germany’s past for my country’s future and its relations to Israel and the Jewish people today,” Lambsdorff wrote on X, adding that he looks forward to continued cooperation with Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan.

Lambsdorff, who arrived in Israel on Thursday, introduced himself publicly last week, saying he was “honored” to be designated Germany’s next ambassador and inviting followers to track his work in the coming years.

In a video message posted on Friday, he said he was looking forward to working in Tel Aviv and highlighted the strength of bilateral ties.

“Germany and Israel have a wonderful and incredible relationship,” he said. “It’s built on a very painful history, but it’s now in a phase where we cooperate on a level that’s absolutely unprecedented, and my task really is to take that cooperation further.”

Lambsdorff previously served as Germany’s ambassador to Russia from 2023 to 2026 and is a former member of both the European Parliament and the German Bundestag.

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