A little over a month ago, the Die Linke – the Left – delegates in the German Bundestag adopted a resolution stating that they would not take part in any Middle East peace initiatives calling for a “one-state solution” nor in “calls to boycott Israeli products.” Their statement also disavowed German participation in the Freedom flotilla, and concluded with the injunction that “We expect our personal staff and the staff of the parliamentary group to support these positions, as well.” The preambular statement justified Die Linke’s opposition to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions with respect to the history of German antisemitism, thereby linking meaningful opposition to Israeli denial of Palestinian rights with the German Judeocide.
One should recognize the objective sensitivity of the political situation in Germany, where the accusation of antisemitism retains its charge, and where without anti-Zionist Jews it’s likely that there would be no organized opposition to Israeli crimes. But one should do so without making the slightest excuse for a resolution ordering the left to reject support for boycott activities. Such a resolution is inexcusable, the result of the warping and manipulation of historical memory and political judgment. In some measure this resolution is the fruit of the efforts of a sector of German faux-leftists calling themselves “Anti-Deutsch” – they astoundingly claim that support for Israeli crimes is a “leftist” position.
Yet, putting the lie to Anti-Deutsch’s indefensible claims, much of the rest of the German left has seethed in response, and reacted furiously: as Victor Grossman comments, “many were especially angry at the last restrictive sentence which was viewed as a gag rule - the first one in the young party.” BDS’s ingenuity in part lies in its plasticity: it can be accommodated easily to local obstacles, and can also educate and contribute to movement building, while putting both real and symbolic pressure on the Israeli matrix of control. Acquiescing to rejection of BDS is tantamount to accepting the status quo. It’s shameful and simply stains the global left. As Israel criminalizes BDS, the need for global civil society to tangibly oppose Israeli actions becomes ever-more-incumbent. As Michael Warschawsky adds, “It is appropriate that the Die Linke leadership withdraw its statement, which lacks both political wisdom and moral integrity.” Warschawsky was also one of the signatories to an open letter to Die Linke from Palestinian and Israeli activists. It is reproduced in full below.
Dear parliament members of Die Linke,
We, Jewish and Palestinian left-wing activists from Israel, strongly oppose the recent statement made by your party with regard to anti-Semitism. This statement deals with two very different domains as if they were one, between which it is vital to make a distinction in order to be able to fight anti-Semitism in Germany and worldwide. Moreover, the statement in question implies an outrageous accusation against civil society in Israel, Palestine, and the international solidarity movements from around the world, which support a just peace in our region.
We are aware that anti-Semitism, just like Islamophobia and other forms of racism, sexism, and homophobia, also exist within the European left. As members of the leading left party in Germany, it is vital that you take a firm stance on this issue and we support you in that respect in your unequivocal condemnation of racist anti-Jewish activities, ideologies, and discourses.
We do not necessarily share the same view on the issues and forms of struggle regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including those mentioned in your statement: a one-state versus two-state settlement; the campaign for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS); and the various international solidarity activities, including the flotillas breaking the siege of Gaza. Nevertheless, we are unanimous in our conviction that none of these stances or acts have anything to do with anti-Semitism in and of themselves. To imply, as your statement does, that simply discussing these topics is anti-Semitic is an affront against a global anti-racist movement of which we are proud members -- a movement which is fighting the illegal and brutal policies of the State of Israel against the Palestinians within its internationally recognized borders, those in the occupied Palestinian territory, and those in the diaspora.
We believe that solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for independence and justice is not only a moral imperative, but also in the best interest of Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide. The Israeli establishment tries to present itself as the legitimate representative of the entire Jewish people, a proclamation that is all too often accepted without any criticism in Germany and throughout Europe. In recent years, the Israeli government is increasingly utilizing the false equivalence between anti-Semitism and criticism of its policies in an attempt to quash debate over the Palestinian issue.
We insist that Die Linke continues to express its clear opposition to anti-Semitism, its solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and its commitment to continuing an open discussion about the different forms of struggle, activism, and solidarity, as well as the possible resolutions to the conflict. Far from being conflicting, these objectives in fact complement each other into what we believe would be the most effective progressive position on the issues.
We will continue to express our opposition to all forms of racism and oppression and hope that you will reconsider your decision on this issue so that we may struggle alongside one another for a just peace in the Middle East.
In solidarity
Click here to see the signatories to this statement.
Max Ajl runs the site Jewbonics.
Germany has been put into place where it can be eternally be blamed for holocaust.
Young Germans have fully accepted their countries blame for the Holocaust; the German education system pushes this from the time any German is born.
It’s now time for young Germans to apply these high moral principles equally to Israel’s policies & conduct regarding those Arab natives in Israel’s control.
The ME does not need Leopold tanks, but it does need young Germans to support universal principles of justice, rather than support Goering’s defense at Nuremberg, which Israel has now stolen and acts upon daily as much as it can given contemporary instant communication.
A “Leopold” tank could be funny, maybe with its own Pickelhaube like Bismarck and all. What you mean is the “Leopard” tank :-)
Norman Finkelstein’s ‘Reflections on “Political Correctness” in Germany’ still has useful insights, almost a decade after it was first published:
I can’t find the resolution by “Die Linke”, you address Max. It feels you may be the victim of a rather heavy media campaign over here in Germany.
The only resolution I can find is a resolution / Beschluss by “Die Linke”, that was very critical of Israel’s politics both in Gaza and the Occupied territories. Reported by Der Spiegel. See for yourself, it’s the first link:
Google: Beschluss + “Die Linke” Gaza First link, in German.
First paragraph of the article:
Berlin – Four hours Die Linke discussed, then a large majority passed a resolution: The parliamentary group confirmed its criticism of Israeli policy in the Middle East conflict. “We will continue to criticize the policy of the Israeli government towards the Palestinians publicly whenever it is necessary since Israel is in violation of international and humanitarian law”, the decision states. It was adopted on Tuesday by a large majority. At the same time the deputies repudiated accusations of anti-Semitism.
All this happend on Thuesday June, 28th, 2011.
It feels this resolution (Beschluss) must have triggered a media campaign against “Die Linke”. And yes, after years of agitation that the left are the worst antisemites, the perpetrators may be hoping that they finally surrender.
I by accident saw the feature by TV magazine Report, Munich, which is pretty much on the right, is as one should expect. The feature is spread on a blog too.. [There is a more liberal variant of Report from Mainz, which shouldn’t be confused with Report, Munich – Report Mainz. But Report, Munich always rings a bell over here.
The feature is very manipulative. Gregor Gysi, the most charismatic member of the party, who happens to be Jewish was often showed but obviously wasn’t willing to speak with them. A member of the party is shown in video material that may have been obtained via one of two ladies below or someone that does prefer to not show his/her face.
Two members that speak against the Flottila. (you are right, that’s it!, at least they are the only ones that speak with Report Munich:
Katharina König + Dagmar Enkelmann
But there is something else, Die Linke launched a motion in the “Bundestag” to recognize the Palestinan State. Here a short video concerning the motion, introduction Petra Pau, Statement: Gregor Gysi. (sorry, obviously German)
I am not 100 % sure, since I do not follow German politics closely, but this feels you are a victim of a campaign. Since I am not 100 % sure I wrote them a mail to please tell me what this is all about.
LeaNder,
Did you click on Max’s links? This one in particular?
link to zcommunications.org
It indicates that the vote on the Bundestag caucus resolution was taken on June 7, 2011, three week BEFORE the statement you linked . That might help you find more information about it.
I missed to add something here in the above note:
A member of the party is shown in video material– that may have been obtained via one of two ladies below or someone that does prefer to not show his/her face–talking about contact with Hamas.
I guess, I do not need to tell more. He says something along the line, if we deal with Gaza we naturally have to deal with Hamas.
I only read up on the people mentioned in the Spiegel article so far, complicated …. Hmm?
Very good article by Jews sans frontiers again, as is always to be expected from them. I have a lot of reading to do now following their links. So Euston manifesto is still active via the Anti-Deutschen? Thanks Tree. But yes, I already have or will follow any links in this context, Grossman, I already read.
And now it’s Windows shutdown time.
This is the context from an earlier article from English Spiegel edition.
A Map without Israel,
Germany’s Left Party Faces Charges of Anti-Semitism
I will look into this. …
‘A little over a month ago, “the Left” delegates in the German Bundestag adopted a resolution stating that they would not take part in any Middle East peace initiatives calling for a “one-state solution” nor in “calls to boycott Israeli products.”’
Nothing could more clearly illustrate the uselessness of traditional anti-racist politics to the Palestinians. The ‘sensitivity of the political situation in Germany’ is a particular kind of politics, dominant over the whole of the West, but particularly powerful in countries which were on the losing side in the holocaust of World War II. In a word, white guilt. The American left is saturated with it. In Germany, it’s the dominant ideology. Even in Britain, it’s taken seriously (see comments above).
‘Philo-Semites are typically anti-Semites in “sheep’s clothing”‘ claims one commenter. Actually, no. Philo-semites are typically philo-semites. And German guilt isn’t ‘light as a feather’ – it is a major source of the most important form of racial oppression in the Western world today.
The above discussion is amazingly long-winded and complicated. But the solution is simple. White guilt may have helped abolish white apartheid. It is worse than useless at abolishing Jewish apartheid, and the above article about the left in Germany is a glaring illustration of this. First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.
“Actually, no. Philo-semites are typically philo-semites. ”
I am not a fan of Goldhagen, but I have to admit that philosemitism feels somehow unstable. I may have been one, but that is a different matter. I only knew Jewish friends, and the stories of the Holocaust and survivors, so it was natural to feel sympathy whenever you met someone Jewish. But since then I encountered both swift shifts historically (philosemites turning into antisemites), as the somehow interesting phenomenon that kids from ardent Nazi families can turn into equally ardent Israel supporters. In one case such a lady moved to the US, and now collectively blames the Germans. She thinks German kids aren’t told enough about it and spreads much rumors about German antisemitism, e.g. that Jewish criminals are always called Jewish in newspaper reports which obviously is not true. I monitored it for more than half a year via Google news. But obviously facts do not matter. She also complains about not being invited to German schools to tell the story, although as a kid from a Nazi family she had to be told about the German past by the Brits during a visit in post world war Germany. Now strictly I would prefer Jewish survivors visiting my class concerning the Holocaust, but I would invite her to tell the kids what did you notice as a young girl? But that’s obviously not her problem that’s ours only.
There are some peculiar rituals surrounding the topic, I may not like, but they do feel familiar. I noticed listening to some recent events around the topic.
But in this special case there are inner-Jewish dynamics involved too. There was a really vicious smear campaigns against Felicita Langer, which I have missed. Felicitas suppors the Gaza Flotilla. It turned into a really sick story at the point our dear when Hendryk M. Broder took over media-wise. Hendryk was a strong supporter of the war against Iraq and paraded during Bush’s reelections in the US in a US-flag-jacket for German TV audiences. Stating: We are all Americans now. I would assume he has close ties to the Anti-Deutschen / Anti-Germans and supports the Euston Manifesto.
He seems to have influenced Gregor Gysi to a certain extend, and I could imagine Gysi preferred to be his friend before undergoing the hardships of being his enemy. If so, that may have been a wise decision. Broder is a an evil polemicist, and he controls the kind of people that fill your email boxes, or comment sections with the type of bile reminiscent of a different time. I would advise people to take great care of themselves. Gysi, he surely could slaughter. And “the left” is not too strong at the moment.
More then two decades ago, a woman who I worked for, unbelievingly asked me: You like Broder.? I really liked his article about rather sick proposals for the Holocaust memorial. They were so bad they offered themselves for satire, which he did in a brilliantly sarcastic way. But during the last decade I got interested in politicas and realized what she may have felt about him. At the time I only knew the article mentioned above and his articles about Israel, more precisely Israeli culture. I learned about the political polemicist and manipulator Broder much, much later, as I learned about Israeli history. Before I was a “Hasbara” myself, without realizing it.
Why would it surprise anyone that a former Nazi adherent would reverse into a present Likud adherent? Churchill use to say, “Ah, the Germans, they’re either at your neck, or your feet.” I’d say most people growing up in any Western country, in any Western education system, since WW2
was a “Hasbara” without realizing it. It’s always a minority in any population who develop into free-thinkers. Chinese wisdom on the subject: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered.”
The struggle to build a real left is ongoing, in Germany and elsewhere. Part of that struggle is integrating Palestine solidarity fully into the left. In Germany, that aspect of the struggle clearly has a ways to go. There are a number of ways to react to that difficulty: criticism, support, and so on; open letters, media exposure, etcetera. But the question of how to react to that difficulty is a question within the Palestine solidarity movement and a question within the left. It is not a question for right-wing agent provocateurs who want to weaponize white racism in a chimerical effort to cleave Palestine solidarity from the left in the service of an equally chimerical analysis that suggests that the left and Palestinians have different enemies. there are plenty of places, both on the internet and in real life, where you can cavort with people who pretend to care about Palestinians but really could care less about them, and where people gather and covertly or overtly express their racism, at Jews in one sense, but really more fundamentally in their disregard for the effectiveness of the struggle, at those who will suffer most if that struggle fails. in that sense their thoughtless racism finds its victims amongst the people at the bottom of the pile. one of the wonders of white privilege!
but i’m wandering. i meant to tell you: don’t get confused. despite a few lapses, this is not one of those places.