Political Affiliations and Palestine

The ongoing Gaza war has brought renewed focus on the dispute over Palestine and antisemitism within the German Left Party. The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has sparked heated debates within the party, with the first heated discussions taking place at the Berlin Left Party state conference on October 11, 2024.

At the federal party conference from October 18 to 20 in Halle/Saale, a compromise was passed, expressing solidarity with the victims on both sides and emphasizing that antisemitic and racist positions have no place in the party. The party leadership, including Ulrike Eifler, a member of the party executive, tried to calm the situation.

However, the party leadership distanced themselves from the Neuköllners in the context of the solidarity festival criticism. A solidarity festival of the Left in Berlin-Neukölln under the title "Neukölln stands together for the people in Palestine" took place on August 9th, but was criticized due to the participation of the "United Palestinian National Committee," which is suspected of having ties to Hamas.

The adoption of the "Jerusalem Declaration" as the basis for the definition of antisemitism within the Left Party at the federal party conference in Chemnitz led to accusations of antisemitism. These accusations grew in intensity following an incident at the Berlin state conference, where Ramsis Kilani, a Trotskyist base member from Neukölln and Palestinian activist, was expelled from the party for "damaging the party" and "glorifying" Hamas.

Parts of the Palestine solidarity movement stood behind Kilani after his expulsion from the party. The demonstration "Together for Gaza" with the rally "All Eyes on Gaza" will take place in Berlin on September 27th, which the Left is mobilizing for and is involved in organizing. However, Israel solidarity groups see anti-Semitic tendencies within the Left, and the event is seen by many as a barometer of the Left's Palestine solidarity.

The motion proposed by Klaus Lederer, condemning antisemitism and emphasizing solidarity with the Israeli victims of the Hamas attack, was proposed at the conference. However, changes to the motion to also consider Palestinian victims and anti-Palestinian racism caused Lederer to withdraw his motion and leave the hall in protest.

The resignations of several prominent party members, including Klaus Lederer, three days later on October 23, 2024, further highlighted the divisions within the party. The party leadership distanced themselves from the Neuköllners in the context of the solidarity festival criticism, but external pressure is growing on the Left regarding their stance on the Gaza war and accusations of antisemitism. The event "Together for Gaza" will be a significant test for the party's ability to balance its support for Palestine with its commitment to combating antisemitism.