Germany the ruling coalition government finally agreed on a new anti-Semitism resolution after months of debate among German politicians and fears it will silence critics of Israel.

The final version of resolution entitled “Never Again: Protecting, Preserving and Strengthening Jewish Life in Germany” was agreed last Friday by the coalition consisting of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). , as well as the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The resolution will be presented to Parliament on November 9 during a vote on its ratification.

Its main features are the priority given to the controversial definition of anti-Semitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and the denial of public funds for the artistic and scientific activities of those participating in the boycott of Israel.

Since the resolution was jointly drafted by members of the coalition and opposition, it is very likely that it will receive a majority of votes and therefore be implemented.

Since October 7, 2023, when the Hamas-led movement Palestinian When fighters attacked southern Israel, the German government sought new ways to reaffirm its support for Israel.

The initial draft of the resolution was delayed while Germany’s main parties refined the wording of the text.

It was only in July this year that a first draft, agreed by all parties, was leaked to German media. Time.

“Attempts to restrict Jews to a certain point of view or way of life and to present and view them as a homogeneous and uniform group are counterproductive and do not correspond to reality”

– Letter “Suggestions for resolution”

Despite criticism from Jewish groups and civil society since the first draft was leaked, no significant changes have been made to the final resolution.

The draft resolution stipulated that the government’s allocation of public funding was contingent on the recipient’s de facto declaration recognizing the existence of Israel.

He also based his idea of ​​anti-Semitism on the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, which conflates criticism of the Israeli government and its war policies with anti-Semitism.

Even though Bundestag resolutions are not legally binding, they have a strong political impact.

A Bundestag 2019 resolution, For example, stigmatizes individuals and organizations that support the global BDS movement as anti-Semitic, and has repeatedly been used as a basis for restricting free speech and violating other constitutional rights.

This resolution explicitly stated that state funding, as well as public facilities, should no longer be made available to “organizations that publish anti-Semitic statements or question Israel’s right to exist.”

Federal states and local governments were asked to follow this policy, leading many municipalities to follow suit and pass their own anti-BDS resolutions.

The Munich city council, for example, forbidden any discussion about the BDS movement in municipal spaces.

The Federal Administrative Court later find that the Munich City Council violated the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Immediate criticism

The July draft resolution immediately sparked criticism from across German society, including among a group of legal experts, lawyers, sociologists and politicians.

They expressed concerns about the constitutional legality of the draft resolution and suggested that the resolution could lead to “silencing critical Jewish voices.”

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Critics also suggested that the resolution would affect “many Jewish scientists, writers and artists, particularly through the intertwining of anti-Semitism and criticism of Israeli policies.”

In a letter entitled “Resolution suggestions“”, the group proposed 16 ideas to improve the resolution, including acceptance of several competing definitions of anti-Semitism, as well as plurality of opinions among Germany’s Jews.

As things stand, Jewish critics of Israel would be subject to sanctions because of their opposition to the state.

“Attempts to restrict Jews to a certain vision or way of life and to present and view them as a homogenous and uniform group are counterproductive and do not correspond to reality,” it reads. in the letter.

The group also suggested increased financial support for Holocaust survivors, many of whom live in poverty, and stressed the importance of independent research “particularly on anti-Semitism or the Middle East conflict.”

“The idea that the state can prevent anti-Semitism by imposing regulations on creative artists, for example by attaching conditions to the allocation of funds, is a mistake,” said Olaf Zimmermann of the German Cultural Council. Zeit.

The draft resolution was also called “dangerous” by a group of Jewish artists who issued an open statement. letter.

“We are deeply alarmed by the repressive nature and divisive implications of a draft resolution”

– open letter from Jewish artists

Published in September, the signatories of letter include 15 leading Israeli human rights organizations, such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem.

The organizations expressed “great concern” about the implementation of the Bundestag resolution.

“We are deeply alarmed by the repressive nature and divisive implications of a draft resolution, which has provoked strong criticism from many academics, artists and civil society organizations in Germany and would harm our organizations and our work in favor of human rights,” the statement said.

Following the wave of criticism, the resolution was sent back for further debate, but the final version announced on November 1 deviated little from the original and virtually none of the suggestions presented by the group of legal experts were implementation.

No change

Under the resolution, anyone seeking public funding, whether cultural, academic, scientific or artistic, will be evaluated for their “anti-Semitic narratives.”

When deciding whether someone is eligible for funding, other definitions of anti-Semitism are allowed, but the IHRA “should be considered authoritative,” the document says.

“The German Bundestag reaffirms its decision to ensure that no organization or project is funded that spreads anti-Semitism, questions Israel’s right to exist, calls for a boycott of Israel, or actively supports the BDS movement,” it said. the resolution.

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Several German media, including Deutschlandfunk, Frankfurt Allgemeine And Time as well as International amnesty indicated that the resolution had been drawn up “in secret”, behind closed doors.

Its authors were a small circle of parliamentarians who did not disclose any information to the public.

Resolutions are usually drafted with the help of civil society organizations and groups concerned with the topic at hand.

These groups are normally invited to speak in parliament to share their opinions and ideas. In the case of the most recent resolution on anti-Semitism, no such action was taken.

“Behind closed doors, MPs, ministers and party leaders complain about the pressure they have suffered from all sides in recent months: from pro-Israeli pressure groups, from the Israeli embassy and the Central Council of Jews, on the one hand, and on the one hand, lawyers, academics and artists”, Deutschlandfunk, Germany’s first public radio. wrote in an editorial this weekend.

“The debate has long been toxic. The fear of being defamed by the Bild newspaper as anti-Semitic and hater of Israel also has an effect on politics up to the highest levels,” he continues.

The final resolution identifies several groups allegedly responsible for the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, namely “right-wing extremists, members of Islamist circles, as well as left-wing anti-imperialists”.

It also explicitly cites “immigration from countries in North Africa and the Middle East” as a driver of anti-Semitism, without providing figures or statistics.

“The fear of being defamed by the newspaper Bild as anti-Semitic and hater of Israel also has an impact on politics up to the highest levels”

– Editorial Deutschlandfunk

The resolution also reaffirms Israel’s “right to self-defense” and emphasizes Israel’s “legitimate security interests as a central principle of German foreign policy.”

He also expresses support for a two-state solution as “the best chance for a viable peace solution.”

The resolution comes amid the U.S. presidential election and as Germany’s coalition partners vie for influence in a power struggle over domestic issues that could bring down the government.

The consequences this resolution could have on the German cultural scene are not difficult to imagine given the current crackdown on criticism of Israel.

Germany’s commitment to silencing voices critical of Israel has already led to instances of cultural censorship and the silencing of voices speaking out about Palestinian human rights.

Death threats

A notable example was the Controversy at the Berlinalewhen the documentary No other landco-directed by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, won the best documentary prize at Germany’s largest annual film festival in February.

In his acceptance speech, Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham spoke of an “apartheid-like situation,” telling the audience that “in two days (me and co-director Basel Adra, a Palestinian), we will return to a country where we are not equal. I live under civil law and Basile lives under military law. We live thirty minutes from each other.

The next day, the mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, of the Christian Democratic Union, castigated the winners for their “intolerable relativization” and described their speeches as “anti-Semitic”.

Joe Chialo, senator for cultural affairs, Melanie Kuhnemann-Grunow, spokesperson for media policy for the Social Democrats (SPD), and Daniela Billig, spokesperson for arts policy for the Greens in the Berlin parliament, criticized the festival for giving a platform to anti-Israel speeches.

Abraham later said The guardian that he had received death threats on social media and that he had been called an anti-Semite by Israeli media, citing German officials.

Abraham sharply criticized German officials, saying the smear he received from German officials devalues ​​the term “anti-Semitism” and puts Jewish lives at risk.