Berlin Left Leader Criticizes Party’s Controversial Zionism Paper | Israel-Palestine Conflict
Elif Eralp, the leading candidate for Berlin’s Die Linke party in September’s state elections, has publicly criticized a recent resolution passed by the party’s branch in Lower Saxony concerning Zionism, according to a report in the German magazine Der Spiegel. Eralp described the Lower Saxony resolution as “wrong,” specifically objecting to its omission of the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.
The Lower Saxony resolution targets “currently existing Zionism,” a move that has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum and from Jewish organizations. The resolution reportedly accuses the Israeli government of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and alleges the existence of “apartheid” in Israel and the occupied territories.
“For me, the right to exist of Israel and the right to self-determination of Jewish people are non-negotiable,” Eralp told Der Spiegel. She added that the right of Palestinians to self-determination, their own state, and a life in peace and security is also “self-evident.” Eralp acknowledged “the suffering in Gaza is real” and that “the occupation in the West Bank is a bitter reality.”
Eralp’s criticism comes as she attempts to position herself as a potential governing mayor for Berlin. Recent polls have shown Die Linke performing strongly in the capital, sometimes equaling or surpassing the support for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party, though still trailing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The Lower Saxony resolution has also prompted a distancing from Heidi Reichinnek, the leader of Die Linke’s parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Reichinnek stated on Wednesday that, in her view, the resolution “does not do justice to the complex situation in Israel and Palestine” and that it should have been formulated and supplemented differently, according to the German Press Agency (dpa).
The controversy surrounding the resolution highlights internal divisions within Die Linke regarding its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A report from Left Voice details the youth wing of Die Linke passing a pro-Palestinian resolution and subsequently facing criticism from the party leadership.