Green politician Claudia Roth strongly rejected accusations that she is attempting to minimize Germany’s historical responsibility within the debate concerning Israel. Speaking to Stern, she stated: “The insinuations against me are absolutely unacceptable.” Roth affirmed that the reckoning with the crimes of German history and the enduring responsibility that accompanies it have always been a cornerstone of her political life, and that this remains unchanged. She emphatically refuted any differing interpretation of her remarks.
Roth had previously acknowledged errors in statements she made during her tenure as Culture Minister regarding the war in Gaza, attributing these mistakes in part to “unfathomable pressure from the Central Council.” When friends questioned her about when she would finally free herself from “the guilt of history,” Roth clarified to Stern that she had not adopted those statements, but merely quoted them.
However, the response from her political colleagues and community was highly critical. Volker Beck, a colleague from the Green Party and President of the German-Israeli Society, strongly criticized her remarks. In a statement, Beck wrote that the nature of her statements mirrored “classic German guilt denial.” Furthermore, the Central Council of Jews also leveled harsh criticism against the politician. Sources within the Central Council suggested that Roth appears to “use every means” in her struggle against political irrelevance, a behavior that allegedly includes “inventing a Jewish conspiracy.” These critics concluded by suggesting that it was time for the politician to take her well-deserved retirement.
