Trapped between what it sees as a historical responsibility to Israel and international law and diplomacy, Germany is facing a tough foreign policy test after the latest Israeli attacks on Iran.
Yeah, they’re so afraid of being antisemite, they forgot to be anti-genocide.
I get that they’re hesitant about telling Israel what to do, but god damn, they should be the first ones to demand UN forces on the ground. My grandfather must be rolling in his grave over his countrymen repeating the failure he had to live with.
The grandfather most likely was on the side of the Nazi regime or indifferent.
Mistakenly thought the statement was about grandfathers in general, not @Airowird@lemm.ee grandfather.
Anyways, Germany is not doing that out of historical responsibility or all the other stuff they talk about. This serves, or they think it serves, their own interests.
The whole “memory culture” only took off, when Germany was reunited and the European neighbors became scared of a newly powerful Germany. The supposed memory culture and subsequently support of Israel are the founding narrative of modern Germany. Changing the position on Israel would expose that narrative as flawed and would question the veracity of Germany not being a danger to the world.
Then since a decade or two the narratives around Israel also serve three goals. First it helps shifting blame for Antisemitism on “imported Antisemitism” aka “brown people”. This can be seen with one of the “combating antisemitism” resolutions that the German parliament passed last year. As examples for “Antisemitism” it did not mention a white German Neonazi attempting a terrorist attack on a Synagogue in Halle. Instead the presentation of the movie “No Other Land” at the Berlinale movie festival was given as an example in the resolution. (Without specifying what exactly was “antisemitic” there).
The second goal is to absolve Germans from the supposed left to the far right from their own racism against Arabs and other “brown people”. By pushing the blame of “Antisemitism” on “them”, discrimination against “them” is not racist. It is just necessary to uphold Germanys historic responsibility.
Finally this also serves greatly to repress anti imperialist leftists and climate activists. Challenging colonial and post colonial structures now can be attacked as “antisemitic” as it inadvertently engages with the colonial reality of Israel.
Meanwhile Jews who do not want to be lumped in with Israel or express an anti-Zionist stance are faced with repressions and attacks by German politics and mainstream media, instead of acknowledging the Pluralism among Jewish people. In the end the alleged “fight against Antisemitism” in Germany is engaged in Antisemitism itself, instrumentalizing Jewish people and what is considered Jewish identity to conform to Germanys own narratives.
The grandfather most likely was on the side of the Nazi regime or indifferent.
Forced to work for Nazis, but definitely not indifferent. But sure, explain my family members to me!
Regardless of the true motives, Germany is especially fearful to be seen as antisemitic, but their “memory culture” of Nie wieder is now being called put for the hypocrisy it is, as they refuse to speak up for the Palestinians, and even are scared to give Ukraine any weapons that could be used to strike Russian soil.
I’m sure I’ve understood stuff wrong in the past and will again in the future, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think on Germany being hypocritical in their stance towards Israel, we agree atleast.
And yeah, the non-Zionists jews (for lack of better term) are definitely not getting heard, or even asked enough. But that’s a whole other can of worms.
Edit: Words are hard, and Muphry’s Law is a bitch.
Yeah, they’re so afraid of being antisemite, they forgot to be anti-genocide.
I get that they’re hesitant about telling Israel what to do, but god damn, they should be the first ones to demand UN forces on the ground. My grandfather must be rolling in his grave over his countrymen repeating the failure he had to live with.
The grandfather most likely was on the side of the Nazi regime or indifferent.Mistakenly thought the statement was about grandfathers in general, not @Airowird@lemm.ee grandfather.Anyways, Germany is not doing that out of historical responsibility or all the other stuff they talk about. This serves, or they think it serves, their own interests.
The whole “memory culture” only took off, when Germany was reunited and the European neighbors became scared of a newly powerful Germany. The supposed memory culture and subsequently support of Israel are the founding narrative of modern Germany. Changing the position on Israel would expose that narrative as flawed and would question the veracity of Germany not being a danger to the world.
Then since a decade or two the narratives around Israel also serve three goals. First it helps shifting blame for Antisemitism on “imported Antisemitism” aka “brown people”. This can be seen with one of the “combating antisemitism” resolutions that the German parliament passed last year. As examples for “Antisemitism” it did not mention a white German Neonazi attempting a terrorist attack on a Synagogue in Halle. Instead the presentation of the movie “No Other Land” at the Berlinale movie festival was given as an example in the resolution. (Without specifying what exactly was “antisemitic” there).
The second goal is to absolve Germans from the supposed left to the far right from their own racism against Arabs and other “brown people”. By pushing the blame of “Antisemitism” on “them”, discrimination against “them” is not racist. It is just necessary to uphold Germanys historic responsibility.
Finally this also serves greatly to repress anti imperialist leftists and climate activists. Challenging colonial and post colonial structures now can be attacked as “antisemitic” as it inadvertently engages with the colonial reality of Israel.
Meanwhile Jews who do not want to be lumped in with Israel or express an anti-Zionist stance are faced with repressions and attacks by German politics and mainstream media, instead of acknowledging the Pluralism among Jewish people. In the end the alleged “fight against Antisemitism” in Germany is engaged in Antisemitism itself, instrumentalizing Jewish people and what is considered Jewish identity to conform to Germanys own narratives.
Forced to work for Nazis, but definitely not indifferent. But sure, explain my family members to me!
Regardless of the true motives, Germany is especially fearful to be seen as antisemitic, but their “memory culture” of Nie wieder is now being called put for the hypocrisy it is, as they refuse to speak up for the Palestinians, and even are scared to give Ukraine any weapons that could be used to strike Russian soil.
I am sorry, when reading i somehow mistook the “My grandfather” for “the grandfather”.
Of course i don’t know you or your grandfather and cannot judge that for him specifically.
I’m sure I’ve understood stuff wrong in the past and will again in the future, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think on Germany being hypocritical in their stance towards Israel, we agree atleast.
And yeah, the non-Zionists jews (for lack of better term) are definitely not getting heard, or even asked enough. But that’s a whole other can of worms.
Edit: Words are hard, and Muphry’s Law is a bitch.