Appears to be overly beneficial for the Liberal faction.

A Bitter Twist at the Last Minute: The Left's Antisemitism Debate Explodes

The Political Left Seems Undeniable, Overly Favored, or Biased.

By: Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz

The Left party's conference in Chemnitz was supposed to be a peaceful gathering, but old conflicts wouldn't go away: antisemitism and Israel, arms, and Russia. Even governing is a challenge for some Leftists.

In the end, the party leadership suffered a clear defeat. A motion that party leader Jan van Aken had explicitly opposed still found a narrow majority: 213 delegates voted for a resolution that officially places the Left behind the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA).

This move might appear innocuous, but it's a disaster—even if it didn't seem so in the conference buzz. "A fateful resolution," commented Katja König, a Leftist Member of the Thuringian State Parliament, on Bluesky, "This means the majority has decided that the Left no longer stands against Every Antisemitism."

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The JDA is a controversial document, and it's no surprise van Aken opposed the motion. Experts question whether this declaration trivializes antisemitism. The proposers disagree, but they're angry their motion was repeatedly sent to committees without further discussion.

Jan van Aken offers a brief counter-argument, but there's no genuine discussion, as there's no time for it. "I'm against ending a scholarly debate through a party conference resolution, we can't do that," he asserts, refraining from delving deeper into the issue. Earlier in the day, the conference had remembered Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.

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The debate is a part of a broader disagreement that permeated the conference. Several delegates wore a kuffiyeh to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Not only König, but other Leftists were appalled on Bluesky. It's not about definitions, writes former MP Martina Renner, but about the ability to clear individuals and groups of antisemitism charges in order to continue cooperating. The JDA doesn't contain any indication that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitic.

The dispute over handling Israel and the Middle East conflict has been ongoing in the party for a long time, and it's becoming increasingly one-sided against Israel. Several prominent members have already left the Left party on this issue, including former Berlin Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer. He may not see much reason to return: 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 prominent. Two days later, the party leadership distanced itself from "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." (More on this here.)

Majority for Compromise Paper on the Middle East

In Chemnitz, the party leadership already negotiated a Middle East resolution intended to calm tensions. It only restates the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, without explicitly making the accusation itself. However, this paper received a clear majority with the party leadership's blessing.

Confusing Party Conference: The Left argues about war and peace - then votes

The relationship with Israel and the debate over the antisemitism definition are just two aspects of the ongoing dispute in the Left that flared up in Chemnitz. It was supposed to be a conference of unity, and for the most part, it was. The delegates celebrated their comeback in the federal election and assured each other that the winning streak would continue into the next year.

"The first left mayor for Berlin, that's a goal," faction leader Heidi Reichinnek said in her speech on Friday. She listed all upcoming elections: in September, local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, in March 2026, state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The Left party leadership hopes that the party will enter parliament in both federal states for the first time. Elections are also coming up in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the coming year.

But the Left seems to be doing too well to avoid conflicts. The other points of contention are about the relationship with power, defense policy, and, linked to that, the relationship with Russia. Wiesbaden city councilor Brigitte Forßbohm said in the evening debate on Friday that she sees "a chronic clinging to dogmas that increasingly disconnect from reality" in parts of the party, particularly regarding questions of war and peace. The repeated call to rearm is ignored, she noted, which is due to the real reason—the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Politics Left Party Leader Confident "CDU Should Realize: Left Party Can't Be Ignored Anymore" While such positions are far from being a majority within the Left Party, it was still surprising that they were openly expressed at all. The party conference on Saturday unanimously rejected the reintroduction of conscription and other compulsory services.

A motion demanding the resignation of Left Party ministers and senators in the state governments of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern received much applause. "We are accountable to our class and the people, and we have no responsibility towards a system that we reject," said one of the proposers. Behind this is the rejection of "war credits," with several speakers drawing a parallel to 1914. However, there also seems to be a general rejection of government participation "under the conditions of capitalism"—an opinion held by a minority but clearly audible.

Success Has a Question Mark Over It

The dissent was ultimately overshadowed, one might even say, hidden. Reliable applause greeted the familiar slogans. This will likely work for a while, especially as many new members are unlikely to be interested in clarifying the old disputes—the party has doubled its membership to over 112,000 in just one and a half years, which is also part of the comeback. But will the dissent persist? There is a question mark over the success of the Left Party.

The Left party's conference in Chemnitz was a platform to discuss various issues such as the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, employment policy, and employment policy.
After a bitter debate, the Left party leadership suffered a clear defeat as a motion placing the Left behind the JDA found a narrow majority, despite the explicit opposition of party leader Jan van Aken.
The JDA resolution has sparked concern among several Leftists, with Katja König, a Leftist Member of the Thuringian State Parliament, commenting that the Left no longer stands against Every Antisemitism.
The rapport on war and peace was another contentious issue at the conference, with some delegates advocating a more bellicose stance, while others, like Wiesbaden city councilor Brigitte Forßbohm, criticized a chronic clinging to dogmas that increasingly disconnect from reality, particularly regarding questions of war and peace. There were also calls for the reintroduction of conscription and other compulsory services, but they were rejected by the majority.