Essay | Berlin: Between Palestine, Pride and the shift to the right

Israel or Palestine? Hardly anyone in Berlin can ignore this question. Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire Two months ago I was invited by the Left – which according to polls is currently the leading party in the upcoming election for the House of Representatives – to speak at the congress of their youth organization. The congress was dedicated to the militarization of German society. The event was moving for several reasons. I talked about how I refused to serve in the Israeli army when I was 18. Then, as now, this was viewed in Israel as an anti-patriotic act. At the headquarters of the Berlin Left, however, people were impressed - it was considered a downright democratic act.

Added to this was the sheer number of young people at this event. Several events took place in parallel on the three floors of the venue. In their best days, Israel's communist youth organization (Banki) or the youth organization of the left-liberal Meretz party would not have been able to bring so many young people to a political event - especially not on an issue that is not yet a reality, but merely a looming scenario.

The fact that Elif Eralp, a left-wing mayor, could now govern for the first time in Berlin's history - and a woman with a Turkish-Muslim background at that - is inspiring enthusiasm among many. At the same time, Eralp also triggers the fears of the right - including Israeli immigrants, who perceive the left as a radical left-wing and anti-Israel party. A video recently circulated on social media of an Israeli real estate agent living in Berlin explaining to her followers the significant danger posed by the “extreme” left. Not just because she is anti-Semitic - also because, God forbid, she wants to freeze the skyrocketing rents.

For right-wingers and capitalists, the left, which is committed to the referendum on “Expropriating German Housing” and rent caps, is evil in its purest form. Even more: it supports migrants. And justifies this with democratic principles and economic considerations. It opposes the demands of the extreme right to revoke the citizenship of certain migrants or to send refugees back to their countries of origin.

Nevertheless, as is well known, the right manages to use the Israel-Palestine issue for its own benefit by portraying the Left Party as a supporter of anti-Semitic Hamas supporters. The most recent opportunity came at a Left party conference, almost three weeks before the election: The Berlin rapper Dahabflex chanted “Yalla Yalla Intifada” and “Death to the IDF.” Immediately after the event, the CDU called on its potential coalition partners, the Greens and the SPD, not to enter into a coalition with the “anti-Semitic” left.

Personally, I have to say: I was disappointed with Elif Eralp's reaction. So far she has managed to navigate sensibly between the fronts. Whenever she was asked about the topic, she emphasized that there was no place for anti-Semitism. On the other hand, she also pointed out that almost every conversation about Berlin's Muslim residents immediately descends into Islamic extremism. She tried to talk about both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. And also about the restriction of freedom of expression since October 7th. When the Berlin Senator for Education banned the wearing of the keffiyeh - a symbol of Palestinian resistance - in schools, Eralp described it as discriminatory. But this time she bit immediately. According to the right-wing narrative, the lines “Yalla Yalla Intifada” and “Death to the IDF” constituted a call for the murder of Jews. And Eralp? Appeared shocked.

In fact, another party is hanging posters all over Berlin declaring that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic: the BSW, which has aligned itself with parts of the right on certain issues. However, according to surveys, she will probably not be able to overcome the five percent hurdle in Berlin. One thing is clear: Since October 7th, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not only played a role at the city and federal level. It is also omnipresent in public spaces. Every toilet cubicle in Kreuzberg or Neukölln – the city's left-wing districts – has become the scene of relentless graffiti wars.

For example, if someone writes “Free Palestine” or “Fuck the IDF,” these writings are immediately removed; Something about Israel is usually written over it or a Star of David is painted. This is then removed again and the game starts again. However, it seems to me that these conflicts are being fought less by Israelis and Palestinians themselves.

In Kreuzberg: We spoke Hebrew. Suddenly a young German came towards us. I thought, here it comes, the lecture. But the young woman wanted to apologize. For what was written on the toilet.

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a café on the Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg and chatting in Hebrew with a friend who was visiting from Israel. Suddenly a young German came up to us and stood next to our table. I thought: Here it comes, the lecture. The majority of my interactions with Germans in public spaces consist of being reprimanded for not behaving in accordance with the law. It didn't even occur to me that the young woman could say anything anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. In my twelve years here in Berlin, I haven't experienced a hint of anti-Semitism or anti-Israelism.

I thought we would be reprimanded for being too loud. But the young woman – she looked like every other queer left voter – wanted to apologize for what was written on the toilet. We initially thanked them because we thought it must have said “Heil Hitler” or something similar. There are enough Nazis in the city. According to surveys, your party received almost 18 percent of the vote.

Later, however, all we found on the toilet were writings calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and the liberation of Palestine. The young woman had already left, so I couldn't explain to her that she didn't need to apologize and that we expressly support criticism of Israel's apartheid regime. Personally, I have no problem at all with a message like “Fuck the IDF”. I consider the army to be one of Israel's most problematic institutions.

The issue of Israel-Palestine also permeates restrictions on freedom of expression in Germany. Since October 7, Palestinian symbols such as the keffiyeh have been misunderstood by authorities and police as support for Hamas. Activists, artists and writers – both Jewish and non-Jewish – find it difficult to express themselves freely. Statements critical of Israel are easily categorized as anti-Semitic. Organizations and cultural institutions refuse to invite people who are considered supporters of a boycott. By the way, Jews are censored disproportionately often. I have no doubt that Muslims or non-Jewish migrants are afraid to talk about this topic - or that they are often not even invited because of the risk that events could be canceled.

In addition to the typical topics that are once again the focus of the Berlin elections - social policy, education, jobs, housing, social justice - there was one topic that causes me as a queer woman in Berlin far more fear than potential attacks on me as a Jewish or Israeli woman: the attack on the Pride parade at the end of July.

The city and federal government reacted immediately by classifying the attack as Islamist terrorism, but failed to address the fact that attacks on LGBT people are increasing and are directly correlated to drastic funding cuts that the city of Berlin and the federal government have made available to organizations that support the LGBT community.

Only last year it was decided not to fly the Pride flag in front of the Reichstag building. The Bundestag is “not a circus tent.” The left and numerous queer activists pointed out the double standard and flooded social media with quotes from government officials against LGBT people. I was very reminded of Israel. It made me think about how Israel likes to boast about being a paradise for LGBT people while the current Israeli government fights in the Supreme Court against any legislation that protects LGBT rights.

Economic issues also play an important role at the moment. The fact that the Left is far ahead as the successor to the socialist-communist party shows that Berlin is still full of people who believe that capitalism can and must be curbed. The fact that the Greens have an additional 15 percent makes it clear that almost a third of the city's population wants an economic order in which the market is regulated and is subject to more social control.

The Berlin elections are of course crucial at the local level - but also at the national level. Berlin was and is a center of activism and has a long history of anti-fascism, anti-capitalism and resistance to rearmament and war. The fact that there is resistance here against what is currently happening, especially in eastern German states, gives me some hope.

The »nd.Genossenschaft« belongs to its readers and authors. They are the ones who make our journalism accessible to everyone through their contribution: We are not backed by a media company, not a large advertising customer or even a billionaire.

Thanks to the support of our community we can:

→ report independently and critically → shine a light on topics that otherwise remain in the shadows → give space to voices that are often silenced → counter disinformation with facts → strengthen and deepen left-wing perspectives

With “Voluntarily pay” you contribute to the financing of our newspaper in solidarity. So that nd remains.