Rivlin Holds Farewell Video Call with Germany’s Merkel

The President of Israel Reuven Rivlin held a farewell video call with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany ahead of the end of his term of office.

“You are one of the most important leaders of our generation,” the president said to the chancellor. “You are someone who constantly reminds the whole free world the values that we all, humanity as a whole, share,” he said, according to a readout from the president’s office.

The president recalled the chancellor’s speech to the Knesset in 2008 as one of the historic addresses made by a foreign leader to the Israeli parliament, saying “I will always remember you as a leader who took care of the relations between our two people, and not just between our two countries. You got to know Israel’s citizens from up close, our culture, our leaders, all the principles that are important to us.”

The president expressed his thanks and appreciation for the chancellor’s commitment to Israel’s national security, expressed time and again during her time as chancellor, and particularly during Operation Guardian of the Walls, last month’s round of conflict with Hamas. He also expressed his thanks for Merkel’s commitment to the fight against antisemitism and for ensuring the safety of Germany’s Jewish community.

The chancellor spoke with the president about the recent changes in Israel and thanked him for the values he promoted during his presidency, and for their joint work over the years to advance relations between the countries.