The Bundestag has adopted a motion based on the Shoah to combat ‘hatred of Jews and Israel-related anti-Semitism’. Some politicians now want to tighten the Basic Law.

After a debate lasting almost two hours, the Bundestag adopted the draft resolution on anti-Semitism tabled by the coalition parties (Social Democrats, Greens, Liberals) and the Conservatives by a large majority on Thursday. The right-wing AfD also voted in favour. The populist Wagenknecht Party group voted against, while the Left Party group abstained.

The resolution entitled ‘Never again is now: Protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany’ refers to the Shoah. The motion cites the ‘cruel terrorist attack by Hamas’ on 7 October as a further point of reference. Since then, the four parliamentary fractions have seen ‘hatred of Jews and Israel-related anti-Semitism at a level not seen for decades’ – although the Federal Criminal Police Office is currently recording a sharp decline in anti-Semitic offences, as enquiries by Left Party politician Petra Pau have shown.

In the motion that has now been passed, the Bundestag expresses its ‘gratitude’ that Jewish life and Jewish culture once again exist in Germany. According to it, this is an ‘enrichment of our society’. The federal government is therefore called upon to strengthen Jews living in Germany, among other things by keeping the memory of the Shoah alive and promoting memorial sites and educational work. Finally, the motion states that the existence and security interests of the State of Israel are ‘a central principle of German foreign and security policy’.

The resolution also contains the controversial demand to ensure that no organisations and projects are funded that spread anti-Semitism or question Israel’s right to exist. The government should also consider banning the BDS movement, which peacefully calls for a boycott of Israeli products from occupied territories, from operating or organising in Germany.

Whether activities constitute ‘Israel-related antisemitism’ is to be reviewed in future using the definition of antisemitism adopted by the Federal Government and Bundestag in 2019 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The government should ensure that this is also implemented in the federal states and municipalities. Art and cultural events and institutions are to be reviewed ‘together with experts’ for anti-Semitism-critical codes.

The untrue claim that there was an ‘anti-Semitism scandal’ at the recent Berlinale – referring to statements critical of Israel made by filmmakers Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham at the awards ceremony – was also adopted. The MPs use this as the basis for their demand that the federal, state and local governments ‘draw up legally binding regulations’ to ensure that no projects and programmes ‘are funded, particularly those with anti-Semitic aims and content’.

This also takes the wind out of the sails of the funding scandal that started after an inflammatory article in the ‘Bild’ newspaper. Following an open letter from thousands of university members, the then Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger (Liberal Democratic Party) had accused the signatories of anti-Semitism in ‘Bild’ and suggested an investigation into the consequences under funding law, thus triggering a dispute about freedom of expression and academic freedom.

Gregor Gysi spoke for the Left Group in the debate, warning against the misuse of accusations of anti-Semitism to suppress legitimate criticism. Gysi argued in favour of differentiated views that also allow for criticism of the Israeli government. Sevim Dağdelen gave a short speech on behalf of the Wagenknecht Party and emphasised that the protection of Jewish life was also of great importance to its members. However, the resolution does this goal a disservice, as criticism of Israel is placed under general suspicion.

Two amendments were first voted on before the resolution was passed. A motion by the Left Group was originally intended to replace the entire text with an alternative proposal by six lawyers and academics, which aimed to advance the fight against anti-Semitism without prosecuting criticism of Israel. Following internal debates, however, the Left Party downgraded its motion so that only the paragraphs of the resolution that were aimed at Israel were to be replaced in favour of an emphasis on the protection of Jewish life. The Wagenknecht Party group also voted in favour of this motion, while all other parliamentary groups voted against it.

The second motion for amendment from the BSW group went in a similar direction, but also emphasised criticism of the Netanyahu government and arms deliveries to Israel. It received support from its own ranks; all others, including the Left Group, voted against it, although there were also abstentions from the Left.

In a petition, over 4,000 people had spoken out in favour of the counter-proposal by the six lawyers and academics. On Wednesday, some of the signatories explained their concerns at a press conference in Berlin. The Rector of the Berlin Institute for Advanced Study, Barbara Stollberg-Rillinger, warned that the accusation of anti-Semitism was being used to silence critical views of Jews. The director of the Einstein Forum in Potsdam, Susan Neiman, drew parallels with the GDR and sees a ‘decreed philo-Semitism’.

The lawyer Matthias Goldmann is reminded of the governmental ‘Radicals Decree’ of the 1970s. Back then, it was about civil servants from whom the state would expect loyalty. Here, however, the areas of education and science are affected, which according to the Basic Law are supposed to be far removed from the stat, Goldmann explainede. Human rights lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck criticised the fact that accusations of war crimes were being made against Russia, while denouncing apartheid and genocide in Israel was being portrayed as ‘anti-Israeli’. ‘Absolutely absurd, half the world is laughing about it,’ said Kaleck.

In the days leading up to the vote on Thursday, around 1,900 people have spoken out in favour of the German Bundestag’s anti-Semitism resolution in an appeal. They include the German-Israeli Society (DIG) founded by ex-Green Party parliamentarian Volker Beck, the Tikvah Institute headed by Beck and the ‘Expert Initiative on Religious Policy’, which was founded following conferences organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with Volker Beck.

The Bundestag debate on the anti-Semitism resolution was chaired by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (Social Democrats). Beck took part as a guest of honour in the gallery and was expressly welcomed by Bas – only afterwards were Jewish guests named.

The honour highlights the role that Beck played in bringing about the resolution. The pro-Israeli lobbyist is currently pushing for further tightenings. On Tuesday, Beck spoke at an event co-organised by the Tikvah Institute at the Berlin Academy of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The event centred on proposals from politicians to enshrine the fight against anti-Semitism in the constitution.

At the conference, former Bavarian State Minister and current anti-Semitism commissioner Ludwig Spaenle argued in favour of enshrining the fight against anti-Semitism as a state objective in the German constitution. The Green Party’s Till Steffen argued in favour of writing a ‘protection mandate for Jews’ into Article 3 of the German Basic Law – even though this article, for good reason, does not establish a hierarchy of victim groups. Thorsten Lieb (Liberal Democratic Party) suggested restricting freedom of opinion in Article 5 accordingly.

Published in German in „nd“.

Image: Protest against the Gaza war in Berlin (Montecruz Foto)