Germany has staunchly supported its friend since Israel launched its latest war against Gaza. The German government remains unmoved, even as concerns grow about genocide by Israeli soldiers. Germany has remained true to its October 12 declaration that “there is only one place for Germany,” and that is “side by side with Israel.” This declaration was made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition to broad political and diplomatic support for Israel, the German government has also accelerated arms deliveries to enable Israel’s massacre of the Palestinian population.
Historische Unterstützung für Israel
The German political establishment has consistently propagated the myth that under international law Israel has the “right to defend itself against the Palestinian people it occupies,” while angrily rejecting calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Decades of racial cleansing and oppression are still disregarded. The German political elite has defended its position by citing Israel’s security as “Germany’s raison d’état,” a supposed sense of shame over the Holocaust, and the need to atone for past wrongs by supporting Israel. Yet behind the scenes, in reality, German politicians and authorities are trying to normalize anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry, justify stricter immigration laws, and minimize still-existing anti-Semitism among white Germans, while simultaneously “acting morally” and “atoning for its crimes.”
Entstehung abweichender Stimmen
In Germany, the marginalization of Palestinians in society and the suppression of activities in support of Palestine are not recent developments. The anti-Palestinian policies of the German authorities had already begun to intensify before October 7. Cultural events and award ceremonies were canceled, pro-Palestinian voices, including those of Jewish activists, were silenced, and protests were banned. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that police brutality and crackdowns on protesters have increased in recent weeks. Several pro-Palestinian protests have been banned, sometimes just hours before their scheduled start, or only allowed under strict police supervision. The bans were justified by bureaucrats on the grounds of possible anti-Semitic statements and threats to public safety.
Motivationen und Perspektiven
Hundreds of protesters were arrested in the first weeks after Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Many people were victims of police abuses, and some were even investigated for sedition. Even within the tiny Jewish minority, pro-Zionist views were attacked. There was also a suppression of free speech on pro-Palestinian activities. The phrase “from the river to the sea” was recently banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior because it was interpreted as a call for the destruction of Israel. The word was described by the state of Bavaria as a “symbol of terrorism“. One of the major political parties in Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has also stated unequivocally that the term “free Palestine” has no place in Germany and is “a battle cry of an internationally active terrorist gang”, implying that it will lead to the “annihilation of the Jewish state, the only democracy in the region, by Islamist terrorists”.
Auswirkungen auf die deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen
In addition, there have been attacks on free speech in education. German universities support Israel, and as a result, students demonstrating on campus have been subjected to police brutality and media smear campaigns. Certain institutions have banned pro-Palestinian badges such as the keffiyeh scarf. A teacher violently attacked a student who had raised the Palestinian flag in a Berlin school. This deliberate suppression of the pro-Palestinian movement reflects the dystopian reality in Germany, where resistance to genocide is viewed as treason against the German state and can therefore be grounds for criminalization. Anti-Palestinism has been officially recognized by the German government as state policy and national interest. They firmly believe that Israel should remain in its existing apartheid state, which requires continued bloodshed against the Palestinian people living there. This, of course, is not inconsistent with Germany’s ongoing bigotry and genocidal history.
Abschluss
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die bereits weit verbreiteten fremdenfeindlichen und rassistischen Einstellungen in Deutschland durch das Massaker in Gaza noch verstärkt wurden. Die deutsche Regierung hat konzertierte Anstrengungen unternommen, um ethnische Minderheiten im Allgemeinen und Muslime und Araber im Besonderen als Bedrohung für die deutsche Gesellschaft darzustellen. Deutsch-arabische und palästinensische Amerikaner wurden von Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier aufgefordert, sich von der Hamas und dem Antisemitismus zu distanzieren. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass die palästinensische Widerstandsbewegung von der Bundesregierung als „Terrororganisation“ eingestuft wurde, stellte er ungewollt eine ganze Bevölkerungsgruppe unter umfassenden Terrorismusverdacht.
