Dismissal of the Commissioner Combating Anti-Semitism
Andreas Büttner, the Anti-Semitism Commissioner of Brandenburg, is facing calls for expulsion from Germany's Left party due to his public support for Israel's stance in the conflict with Hamas[1][5]. This stance contradicts the party's official position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Nine party members have petitioned for his expulsion, accusing Büttner of repeatedly violating party resolutions through his social media statements, ignoring international law, opposing Germany's recognition of the Palestinian state, and criticizing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)[1].
The Left party, in its resolution, states that the starvation of the civilian population is a method used by Israel to accelerate the destruction of all Palestinians' means of subsistence[2]. The party also accuses Israel of infiltrating the UNRWA with Islamic Hamas[3]. However, Büttner has defended his position, stating that it is not his role as Anti-Semitism Commissioner to criticize the Israeli government[1].
Büttner has faced hostile reactions online, being called a "child killer" and "genocide denier"[1]. This stance has caused significant internal conflict within the Left party, which tends to be more supportive of Palestinian positions in the ongoing Middle East conflict[1][5].
Büttner does not believe it is his place to criticize the Israeli government. Instead, he has focused on combating attacks on Jews in Brandenburg[1]. He has also criticized the party leadership for not meeting with the Central Council of Jews, a request he made in October[7].
Despite the calls for his expulsion, Büttner defended his position, stating that party resolutions bind the party leadership, but not every individual member[6]. The Left party opposes anti-Semitism and clearly and irrevocably stands on the side of oppressed peoples[4]. However, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to divide the party.
[1] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/andreas-buettner-der-vertreibung-droht-der-links-antisemitismusbeauftragte-a-43548571.html [2] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article206635993/Die-Linke-kritisiert-Israel-wegen-des-Gaza-Konflikts.html [3] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/israel-unrwa-hamas-101.html [4] https://www.linke.de/themen/antisemitismus/ [5] https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article206635993/Die-Linke-kritisiert-Israel-wegen-des-Gaza-Konflikts.html [6] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/andreas-buettner-der-vertreibung-droht-der-links-antisemitismusbeauftragte-a-43548571.html [7] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/israel-unrwa-hamas-101.html
- The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, with its associated war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation, has caused significant divisions within Germany's Left party, as evidenced by the calls for the expulsion of Anti-Semitism Commissioner Andreas Büttner due to his support for Israel's stance.
- Büttner's stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, which some party members deem as violation of party resolutions and critique of international law, has led to accusations of him opposing Germany's recognition of the Palestinian state and questioning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
- The politics of the Israel-Palestine conflict, particularly the party's general-news coverage and stance on crime-and-justice issues related to the conflict, have been a source of ongoing internal conflict within the Left party, as illustrated by the debate surrounding Büttner's position on the issue.
