Here are some of the things which made Die-Linke a ‘Jew-hater’.
In 2008, 11 Die Linke members of the Bundestag refused to support a resolution against anti-Semitism.
In 2009, nine Die Linke parliamentarians were at a demonstration at which “death to Israel” was chanted.
In May 2010, three Die-Linke parliamentarians took part in the Gaza flotilla which sought to break the Israeli embargo on the Gaza Strip. Also that year, three parliamentarians remained seated following Israeli President Shimon Peres’ address in the Bundestag.
In April 2011, the website of the district chapter of Die Linke in the western city of Duisburg featured a swastika entangled with a Star of Zion. The symbol linked to a pamphlet which called Israel a “rogue nation” and called for a boycott of Israeli products.
In May 2011, Inge Höger, a member of the Bundestag from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, appeared at a Palestinians in Europe conference attended by numerous Hamas sympathizers. She was wearing a scarf printed with a map of the Middle East that did not include Israel. Höger claimed that she was handed the scarf and didn’t want to be impolite.
However, lately, some of its leaders (former communists with Jewish roots, such as, MP Gregor Gysi, former head of the party) are trying to shake away the ‘anti-Semitism’ label by parroting Israeli propaganda. On Jene 7, 2011, Die-Linke’s floor leader Gregor Gysi pushed a resolution through the party’s parliamentary faction stating: “In the future, the representatives of the Left Party faction will take action against any form of anti-Semitism in society.”
Gregor’s ‘resolution’ defined ‘how to fight anti-Semitism’ as: “Die-Linke will no longer participate in boycotts of Israeli products, will refrain from demanding a single-state solution to the Middle East conflict and will not take part in this year’s Gaza flotilla“.
Jewish and Palestinian left-wing activists in Israel have refuse to buy their German brothers’ new definition of anti-Semitism. On June 21, 2011 – the group made a call to Die-Linke to stand-up to Zionist pressure.
“We, Jewish and Palestinian left-wing activists from Israel, strongly oppose the recent statement made by your party with regard to anti-Semitism. This statement deals with two very different domains as if they were one, between which it is vital to make a distinction in order to be able to fight anti-Semitism in Germany and worldwide. Moreoever, the statement in question implies an outrageous accusation against civil society in Israel, Palestine and the international solidarity movements from around the world, which support a just peace in our region. We are aware that anti-Semitism, just like Islamophobia and other forms of racism, sexism and homophobia, also exist within the European left.
We believe that solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for independence and justice is not only a moral imperative, but also in the best interest of Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide. The Israeli establishment tries to present itself as the legitimate representative of the entire Jewish people, a proclamation that is all too often accepted without any criticism in Germany and throughout Europe. In recent years, the Israeli government is increasingly utilizing the false equivalence between anti-Semitism and criticism of its policies in an attempt to quash debate over the Palestinian issue,” read the call.
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