Bundestag Deputy Chairman Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke) has publicly accused Volker Beck, Chairman of the Deutsch-Israeli Society (DIG), of taking a unilateral stance at the expense of his party amidst disputes regarding the formation of a new Senate in Berlin. In an open letter to the DIG, which was reported by the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland,” Ramelow noted his “great astonishment” at the sharp rhetoric issued by the DIG following the electoral success of the Berlin Left and the subsequent party discussions.
Beck, who is affiliated with the Green Party, has reportedly disparaged potential coalition partners, including the SPD, and his own party. Ramelow noted that the DIG leader seems generally averse to any cooperative discussions, appearing opposed even to potential outcomes.
Although Ramelow himself is a member of the DIG, he remarked that anyone who stands against fascism must also be credible in confronting antisemitism. He stressed that he has consistently and publicly rejected extremist elements within Die Linke. Furthermore, Ramelow argued that many fellow members of his party view themselves as friends of Israel, maintaining that solidarity with Israel does not preclude solidarity with Palestinians, and that the suffering of civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Southern Lebanon must also be recognized.
The Left politician expressed surprise that the DIG was aggressively attacking a potentially left-led reform government. He pointed out that the coalition of red-green-red has achieved a clear majority in the Abgeordnetenhaus elections and has been given the “mandate to make the city more affordable and better.” Ramelow also reminded readers that the Left Party has extensive experience in municipal governance, having participated and shared power in Berlin for 17 years over the last 25 years.
Ramelow concluded his letter by stating that the current political configuration deserves a chance, rather than being depicted as an apocalypse, especially when, meanwhile, a staunchly far-right party, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution monitors, is taking over in Saxony-Anhalt nearly unnoticed. He urged the DIG to focus on the essentials-namely, the German-Israeli relationship and the fight against antisemitism-instead of blindly targeting the red-green-red coalition in Berlin.
This criticism follows a recent strong statement by Beck, who argued that it is “completely incomprehensible” for the Greens and the SPD to consider a coalition with this Berlin left-wing party, where he asserts that anti-Zionism is not a peripheral issue but rather part of the successful electoral formula.
