Writing
about the German Left and Israel—the debates on anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism of the last several years—often feels like a race against history. Not a day goes by without another piece being added to this complex and troublesome mosaic. No topic has stirred up so much debate and emotion and created so great a rift inside the German Left as Israel. These discussions, one could say, precipitated the erosion of anti-imperialism as a hegemonic framework for leftist thought.
In the beginning of 2009, there were huge demonstrations protesting Israel's military actions in Gaza. Few voices asked for understanding or pointed out the complexities of the situation. When Chancellor Angela Merkel blamed Hamas for being the cause of Israel’s attack, she had to defend her statement against criticism in Parliament. Not only in Germany but throughout Europe there were the biggest anti-Israeli demonstrations since the second intifada. They lacked neither intensity nor (sometimes) violen...
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