Germany’s governing coalition and conservative opposition have agreed to a joint call for a government crackdown on anti-Semitism, despite concerns that the efforts could be misused to curb criticism of Israel.
The draft motion states that the German government must “continue to actively support the existence and legitimate security interests of the State of Israel.”
The three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition announced the agreement on Saturday, along with the conservative opposition CDU/CSU bloc.
The motion, which is not legally binding, will be discussed and voted on in the German parliament, the Bundestag, next week.
The draft calls for “closing the loopholes and consistently exploiting repressive options” against those deemed anti-Semitic by the German state, especially in the areas of criminal law and residence, asylum and citizenship law.
According to the draft, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism should be used as a “guiding principle” by government agencies at all levels.
The IHRA definition has been criticized by scholars for labeling many types of criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism.
Last year, a group of leading German lawyers warned in a letter to lawmakers that using the IHRA definition would lead to “highly problematic territory in terms of both constitutional and international law.”
The motion also accuses immigrants from Muslim countries of being particularly susceptible to anti-Semitism, unlike native Germans.
“In recent months, the alarming levels of anti-Semitism based on immigration from countries in North Africa and the Middle East, where anti-Semitism and hostility towards Israel are widespread, including as a result of Islamic and anti-Israel state indoctrination, have increased. clear,” according to the draft.
The German political parties also claim in the draft that anti-Semitism among left-wing activists is on the rise, with the draft criticizing a ‘relativizing approach and increasing Israel-related and left-wing anti-imperialist anti-Semitism’.
The chairman of the German-Israeli Association, Volker Beck, described himself as very satisfied with the motion presented on Saturday.
“The German Bundestag’s clear and unconditional support for Israel’s self-defense helps to correct the irritations expressed from Berlin in recent months,” he said.
Beck’s comment about “irritations” appeared to be a reference to comments by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock last month, who said that arms exports to foreign countries, including Israel, would be examined within the framework of the humanitarian, EU and international law.
The design unveiled on Saturday was sharply criticized by a number of organizations, as well as several hundred activists, artists, lawyers and academics.
In an open letter they supported a recently published alternative proposal, drawn up by, among others, the sociologist Armin Nassehi and former MP Jerzy Montag of the Green Party.
That proposal defines the protection of Jewish life in Germany as a task for the state and society as a whole.
It also states that it “unreservedly” condemns the massacre committed by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023, while pointing out the “immeasurable suffering” of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been waging an ongoing military offensive in Gaza since the attack, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Instead of relying on “uncertain definitions,” the open letter called for taking concrete action, such as reforming civil rights laws or making changes to education.
Supporters of the letter include Amnesty International Germany and Medico International. Other signatories include Susanne Baer, former judge at the German Constitutional Court, climate activist Luisa Neubauer, migration researcher Naika Foroutan and renowned Austrian writer Eva Menasse.
