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Elif Eralp of Germany’s Left party, who is poised to become Berlin’s next mayor, has called on Germans to pay greater attention to Palestinian perspectives on the conflict with Israel.
Speaking at a news briefing in Berlin on Monday alongside Left co-chair Ines Schwerdtner, Eralp said the government had given too little consideration to the views of Muslim and Palestinian people, as well as those of many Jewish people.
“I view it as my task to acknowledge and unite all these perspectives, and I believe that is achievable,” Eralp said, according to the source.
Eralp says criticism must be distinguished from antisemitism
Eralp said her party firmly opposed the instrumentalization of criticism directed at the Israeli government and rejected every form of antisemitism.
“It remains essential to clearly distinguish between the two,” she said, adding that the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, had failed to do so.
Schwerdtner also said criticism of the Israeli government and military should not be equated with antisemitism.
“While we want to address the real problem of antisemitism, it must also be possible to criticize the Israeli government and military. These war crimes must be addressed just as much as the very real antisemitism and hatred of Jews in Germany,” Schwerdtner said.
Left politician warns against prejudice
Eralp said her main focus, if elected mayor of Berlin, would be bringing people together and developing policies that take all sides and perspectives into account.
She also warned of prejudice and a presumption of guilt directed at Muslim and Palestinian people in Germany, calling such treatment unacceptable.
“We need a policy that brings people together and embraces everyone in our city,” Eralp said.
