Israeli bombing – Germany as “complicit”
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Open letter from science denounces the attitude of the German government towards Israel.
In drastic words, a group of intellectuals from Germany and many other countries is calling on the German government to change course in its Israel policy. "For more than a year, this federal government has actively contributed to the killing and dehumanization of Palestinians by supporting Israel politically, financially, militarily and legally," reads its open letter, which was also sent to the members of the Bundestag. The authors speak of "Germany's complicity in Israeli international law crimes", which must be ended immediately.
The 66 first signatories include the German-American "Unorthodox" author Deborah Feldman, the French economist Thomas Piketty, the Israeli journalist Amira Hass, the Israeli historian Raz Segal and the music professor Michael Barenboim. Support comes from many Holocaust, genocide and violence researchers, including Hanna Pfeifer from the Hamburg Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. More than 500 people have joined the call, including many teachers from universities in Germany, Great Britain and other countries, as well as a number of former diplomats. The German authors Esther Dischereit and Kübra Gümüsay are also among the supporters.
"The German government has now marginalized itself internationally with its position of political and military support," says Pfeifer. The USA would not take a de-escalation course under President Donald Trump. All the more important are now clear signals from Germany.
The text describes the consequences of the Israeli attacks in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon: more than 42,000 deaths, thousands of wounded and displaced persons for whom there is no safe place to flee. "We observe with horror the emerging genocide of the Palestinian population by Israel," begins the Open Letter. “We are deeply shaken. It hurts us, and we are angry at this blatant disregard for human lives - a disrespect that the German federal government expects us to accept as normal and necessary.
The undersigned demand that the Federal Government "consequently take the side of justice and international law and to exert pressure on Israel in a way that immediately prevents the killing, mutilation and destruction of Palestinian life." Until now, state institutions, parties and politicians in Germany have largely supported the crimes of the Israeli army, the authors claim.
It has been extensively documented by the United Nations and leading human rights organizations that Israel commits "crimes under international rights, including war crimes and crimes against humanity". The authors refer to findings from Holocaust and genocide research as well as from international law experts.
They explicitly mention the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, the report "Anatomy of a Genocide" by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and the University Network for Human Rights. They all came to the conclusion that "the current attack on Palestine is tantamount to genocide."
The open letter was "especially promoted by researchers and civil servants in Germany," reported violence researcher Pfeifer to the FR. "As employees of state-sponsored or state institutions, they see a special responsibility to position themselves against the current German policy in the conflict and to demand a change of course."
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