German envoy admits he spread lies about 'October 7 mass rapes'
3 Min Read
It is not the first time that the German government has partaken in such misinformation. In May, Seibert's supervisor, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, stated at a Berlin event claiming she had personally witnessed a Hamas-filmed rape on October 7.
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Steffen Seibert, German Ambassador to 'Israel' and former spokesman for the German government, speaks during a handover ceremony in Berlin in December 2021. (AP)
The German ambassador in Tel Aviv has revealed that he circulated manufactured Israeli propaganda in order to lend credibility to 'Israel's' disproved allegations of mass rapes by Palestinian resistance fighters during Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
Last week, Seibert released a letter purported to be from an Israeli who killed himself because he was unable to cope with the pain he encountered during the Supernova event on October 7.
I regret having believed - like so many others - that that suicide letter was real. It turns out it was a fake. I find this an appalling act given that so many real lives were taken at the Nova festival, so many crimes committed, so many souls destroyed. https://t.co/p6BDoUigNF
— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) August 29, 2024
The false letter went viral after it was circulated by two known Israeli propagandists, Hen Mazzig (who translated it into English) and Aviva Klompas.
Mazzig asserted that the Israeli ended his life after "witnessing too many horrors, including the rape of a girl," citing that it was this trauma of not being able to save the alleged girl nearby that caused him to feel "incapable of continuing his life.”
Mazzig works for the Tel Aviv Institute, an Israeli propaganda group. Klompas, a former Israeli government speechwriter, is the CEO of another lobbying firm, Boundless 'Israel.'
Both have been particularly active in spreading 'Israel's' disproved allegations of mass rape on October 7th.
Dear @HenMazzig,
— Dr. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui (@sabreenaGS) August 29, 2024
What happened to your tweet?
I know, I know, the suicide letter turned out to be fake, like most things Israeli, and it’s probably embarrassing that you shared it with such emotionally manipulative zeal. pic.twitter.com/xynq8pnHGV
The fake suicide letter appears to have been an attempt to give additional legitimacy to a horrific propaganda story that has entirely collapsed under inspection by alternative media outlets, including The Electronic Intifada.
Flagrant lies and vile fantasies: Sheryl Sandberg's new film Screams Before Silence (@ScreamsBefore) is the latest attempt to revive Israel's debunked and discredited Oct. 7 "mass rapes" atrocity propaganda. We dissect this blatant fraud: pic.twitter.com/Xi02kgQDoY
— Electronic Intifada (@intifada) May 3, 2024
This newest scam fell apart when Israeli journalists attempted to follow up and interview the relatives of the alleged suicide victim.
Adam Shafir, the producer of Israeli Channel 13’s current affairs program Hatzinor posted on X Thursday that “A story that ran in recent days about a Nova survivor who saw horrors and committed suicide, did not leave a single dry eye."
Shafir revealed that after attempting to reach the family, the search "turned into an investigation" and stated that “We will reveal tonight on The Pipeline that it is a complete fake.”
Mazzig was caught red-handed and compelled to deliver a fake apology.
Without this high-profile debunking by Israeli media, there is little reason to assume the German ambassador would have admitted his participation in promoting these falsehoods.
Seibert has frequently promoted the mass rape hoax and has yet to disavow his support for it.
Seibert is a former presenter for ZDF, the German national television broadcaster. From 2010 until 2021, he was the German government's chief spokesperson.
It is not the first time that the German government partakes in such misinformation. In May, Seibert's supervisor, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, stated at a Berlin event claiming she had personally witnessed a Hamas-filmed rape on October 7.
This was impossible since Israeli government security agencies and a UN assessment both stated that no footage of rape was found among the thousands of images and recordings taken on October 7.
When a journalist confronted the German government on Baerbock's deception, a spokeswoman slandered the reporter.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated the falsehood that Hamas fighters had recorded themselves raping Israeli women days after.
Over the previous 11 months, innumerable Israeli falsehoods have been successfully discredited, including decapitated and burnt children, a fetus ripped from the womb, and, of course, the claims about mass rapes on October 7th.
