At the Last Second: The Left Party's Comfort is Obvious
The Political Left Appears Overly Influential and Powerful
Blog Post By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
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The party conference was meant to be peaceful, and for the most part, it was. However, old disagreements kept resurfacing: antisemitism, Israel, arms, and Russia. Even governance isn't always agreeable for all leftists.
In the last minute of the Left Party's conference in Chemnitz, the party leadership suffered a clear defeat. A motion against which party leader Jan van Aken had explicitly positioned himself nevertheless found a narrow majority: 213 delegates voted for a resolution adopting the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
While this might seem uneventful in the bustling party conference environment, it's a scandal. As Thuringian state parliamentarian of the Left Party, Katharina König, comments on Bluesky, "This resolution is fatal." With this decision, the majority has decided that "the Left Party no longer stands for #againstanyantisemitism."
leaders broken inside
The Jerusalem Declaration is contentious, as van Aken had opposed the motion. Some experts view this declaration as a trivialization of antisemitism. The supporters of the motion claim they are mainly frustrated that their motion was to be quietly referred to the committees – for the second time.
Van Aken argues that the Left Party found a reasonable compromise at the party conference in Halle last year. In this resolution, it was about positioning in the Middle East conflict. However, this isn't enough for the supporters. One of them says, "We need to establish content clarity to refute false, defamatory accusations against the Left."
Jan van Aken makes a brief counterargument, but there is no real discussion, time wouldn't allow it. "I am against ending a scholarly debate through a party conference resolution, we cannot do that." He doesn't delve deeper into the discussion. In the morning session, the party conference remembered the late Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.
A MEMBER SPEAKS UP
Left Party's MEP Özel Demirel-Böhlke strongly opposes van Aken, asserting, "There's no such scholarly debate. Only two competing definitions exist: the Jerusalem Declaration and that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Demirel-Böhlke alleges that based on IHRA, any criticism of the Israeli government can be labeled as antisemitism. This is controversial, but she receives strong applause. In the digital vote, 183 delegates follow van Aken's appeal – not enough. 40 abstain. Dozens of delegates are no longer present at this point.
Is it about definitions or cooperation?
The debate highlights an underlying dispute that permeated the entire conference. Several delegates in Chemnitz wear a kuffiyeh to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Katharina König and other leftists are appalled on Bluesky. It's not about definitions, writes former MP Martina Renner, but about being able to clear persons and groups of the antisemitism charge in order to continue cooperating. Indeed, the Jerusalem Declaration contains no hint that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitic.
The ongoing battle over Israel and the Middle East
The dispute over how to deal with Israel and the Middle East conflict has been raging in the party for a long time, increasingly tilted against Israel. Several prominent members have already left, including former Berlin cultural senator Klaus Lederer. On Tuesday, Left party federal board member Ulrike Eifler posted a map of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank on X, where Israel's borders were not visible. Two days later, the party executive disowned "any call, statement, or visual representation that, under the guise of solidarity with the Palestinian population, negates the existence of Israel or promotes the elimination of Israel."
Majority for compromise paper on the Middle East
In Chemnitz, the party executive had already negotiated a Middle East resolution intended to calm nerves. It only refers to the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, but it doesn't make the accusation itself.
The Same Old Points of Contention
The relationship with Israel and the dispute over the antisemitism definition were just two facets of the Left's ongoing conflict that surfaced in Chemnitz. It was meant to be a peaceful conference, and for the most part, it was. The delegates celebrated their return to power and agreed they would continue to succeed.
"Berlin's first left mayor, that's our goal," faction leader Heidi Reichinnek called out in her speech on Friday. She listed upcoming elections: in September, local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, in March 2026, state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The party leadership hopes the Left will finally enter parliament in both federal states. Elections are also coming up in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania next year.
Cooperation or Confrontation with Power?
But the Left seems to be doing too well to avoid conflict. In other points of contention, it's about the relationship with power, defense policy, and, connected with that, the relationship with Russia. A Hesse delegate said in the evening debate that she senses "a chronic adherence to beliefs that are increasingly detached from reality" in parts of the party, especially concerning questions of war and peace. "The repeated call for armaments is overlooked, which has a real cause, namely the Russian attack on Ukraine."
Success has questions waiting to be answered
In response to the motion against the state associations of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, party leader Ines Schwerdtner delivered the counter-speech. "My dear comrade, I agree with everything you said in content." She argued formally: The main motion had already decided that such a case should not happen again. Schwerdtner called on the party conference not to "set a precedent." This motion was rejected with 219 to 192 votes and 39 abstentions.
In the end, all the long-standing disagreements were overshadowed, one could even say: papered over. The reliable applause filled the air once again. This will likely continue for some time, especially since the many new members are probably not yet interested in revisiting the old disagreements. But will the dissent persist? A question mark hangs over the success of the Left Party.
- The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, a controversial resolution, was adopted by a majority of 213 delegates at the Last Second, the Left Party's conference in Chemnitz, despite party leader Jan van Aken's explicit opposition.
- The Left Party's MEP Özel Demirel-Böhlke argued that the Jerusalem Declaration and the definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) are the only competing definitions, and any criticism of the Israeli government can be misconstrued as antisemitism based on the IHRA definition.
- The debate over how to deal with Israel and the Middle East conflict has been a persistent issue within the Left Party, with several prominent members leaving the party, including former Berlin cultural senator Klaus Lederer.
- The majority voted against a motion that aimed to prevent similar cases like the one against the state associations of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, raising questions about the party's commitment to unity and cooperation.
- Success brings its own set of questions, and the Left Party, having regained some power in various states, must face the ongoing conflicts in policy areas such as relations with Israel, Middle East politics, defense policy, and relations with Russia, while maintaining cooperation with those in power and avoiding confrontation.
