Federal Congress of the Left Youth: Solid against Solid

The federal congress of the Left Youth Solid will take place in Nuremberg from November 6th to 8th. The taz has exclusive access to the final applications including amendments. These show: Even within left-wing youth, the gap over the Middle East and the anti-Semitism debate is becoming increasingly deeper.

Various Solid members have submitted an application under the heading “Lobbyism”, which aims for an incompatibility decision: Anyone who is a member of the German-Israeli Society (DIG), the European Leadership Network (Elnet) or the Middle East Peace Forum (Naffo) should not be able to be a member of the Left Youth. These organizations are “in close contact with the Israeli government and try to influence German politicians in their interest.” They did not want to contribute to “a cultural dialogue”, but rather supported “Israel’s policies that violate international law”.

The “lobbyism” application was submitted by, among others, Limes Schäfer, a member of Solid’s Federal Speakers’ Council. In the middle of the year, BR reported how Schäfer trivialized Hamas in an internal chat: “Simply labeling the terrorist organization as Islamist” was “really embarrassing.” Jimi Herken from the Berlin Left Youth wants to add to the lobbying proposal in order to promote incompatibility in the Left Party as well.

But the Federal Working Group (BAK) Shalom has also submitted an amendment: “The left-wing youth calls talk of a Zionist lobby, of politics allegedly controlled by Israel, for what it is: anti-Semitic whispers!”, it says. The BAK Shalom sees the original application as a “manifestation of modern anti-Semitism in written form”. The BAK Shalom cites the influence of “global” and opaque Israeli lobby organizations constructed in the application as a characteristic of this.

The BAK Shalom becomes even clearer in the application “Consistently against anti-Semitism”. There, the NRW State Working Group on Anti-Semitism Criticism calls for theoretical and historical educational work on anti-Semitism and close cooperation with Jewish organizations. The BAK Shalom submitted an addition: "As left-wing youth, we have not only failed, we have actively promoted these conditions. Today, the majority of members must be described as anti-Semitic and anti-Semitism as the main field of activity of the left-wing youth."

Solid had already caused controversy in advance. The Berlin Left Youth rejects a possible red-red-green government in Berlin, among other things because of the anti-Semitism agreements between the Left, the SPD and the Greens. A change in policy is not possible with them. Individual Solid delegations accuse the parent party of giving in to a “media smear campaign”, of not standing up enough for the radical pro-Palestinian wing of the party and of punishing it with disciplinary measures. The press is excluded from the federal congress itself.

The Tagesspiegel has already reported on proposals with which Berlin's left-wing youth are heading towards a confrontation course with the parent party. An application aims to lift the ban on national flags at Solid events, as this equates “anti-imperialist and anti-colonial liberation struggles” with the symbolism of “genocidal states such as the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel or the USA”. The Berlin delegation expresses its solidarity with the Neukölln Bundestag member Ferat Koçak, who is the victim of a racist campaign.

The Solid-Berlin comrades also show their solidarity with Hannah Bruns, who is currently being expelled from the party. At a demonstration in Berlin in 2025, Bruns said: "The liberation of Palestine does not end when the West Bank is liberated. The liberation of Palestine ends when Tel Aviv is back in the hands of Palestine!"

The federal congress last year also caused discussions. There, Solid passed a motion in which they accused Israel of “genocide” and spoke of the “colonial and racist character of the Israeli state project”. The leadership of the Left at the time distanced itself from this request.

Janis Ehling, Federal Managing Director of the Left, explains: “The Left Youth is an independent association.” For the party, he states that they “stand for a two-state solution and thus for a safe Israel and a safe Palestine” and that they “resolutely reject all anti-Semitism”. But he also says: “Not all criticism of Israeli organizations or actors is anti-Semitic.” Ehling is "optimistic that the left-wing youth will send a strong message against anti-Semitism and at the same time a clear condemnation of the Israeli government's war policy. For me, the two belong together."