City Hall flags changed to Palestinian flags, a call made by the Left Party
Berlin's Left Party Stands Firm on Middle East Conflict and Flag Raising
The Left Party (Die Linke) in Berlin has taken a unique stance on the Middle East conflict, challenging the German mainstream political consensus. Unlike many other parties, the Left Party has been a consistent critic of equating Holocaust remembrance with unquestioned support for Israel's policies.
This stance is evident in the party's approach to the raising of the Palestinian flag alongside the Israeli flag in Berlin public buildings. The Left Party supports Palestinian solidarity and views the display of Palestinian national symbols as legitimate, framing it as part of their critique of the state's singular loyalty to Israel.
Maximilian Schirmer, co-chair of the Left Party, explained the party's stance on the Middle East conflict to the Tagesspiegel. He emphasized the party's resolutions of recognizing Israel's right to exist and condemning Hamas' attack on Israel. Kerstin Wolter, the current party chair, also supports the symbolism of the Israeli flag as a call for the release of hostages from Hamas captivity.
However, Wolter has expressed concern about the perception of her message as one-sided due to the Israeli government's war crimes in the Gaza Strip. She stressed that recognizing the suffering in the Gaza Strip does not contradict the Left Party's resolutions. The party does not measure human rights violations with a double standard.
The concept of Staatsräson, established during Angela Merkel's and continued by Olaf Scholz’s leadership, positions Israel's security as a non-negotiable German national interest. Critics see this as prioritizing Israel's interests above universal human rights and Palestinian solidarity. The Left Party's position diverges from the dominant political culture in Germany, which largely rejects the raising of the Palestinian flag as a challenge to Israel's "right to exist."
The Left Party remains an exception, opposing the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. They advocate for the inclusion of Palestinian narrative and symbolism in public discourse, including symbolic acts like jointly raising flags. This position puts the Left Party at odds with other German parties and official policies that see raising the Palestinian flag in public buildings as incompatible with their articulation of support for Israel’s security and symbolic status.
[1] German-Foreign-Policy.com [2] The Jerusalem Post [3] The Electronic Intifada [4] Deutsche Welle [5] The Guardian
- The Left Party's stance on the Middle East conflict, which challenges the German mainstream political consensus and opposes the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism, is a key topic in war-and-conflicts and politics general news.
- Despite the dominant German political culture that largely rejects the raising of the Palestinian flag as a challenge to Israel's "right to exist," policy-and-legislation discussions often revolve around the Left Party's advocacy for the inclusion of Palestinian narrative and symbolism in public discourse, including symbolic acts like jointly raising flags.
