The co-chair of Die Linke, Luigi Pantisano, considers the question of a shared state for Jewish people and Palestinians legitimate. Pantisano told Politico that raising and discussing this question is not exclusive to Die Linke, noting that many international law scholars and many countries around the world are also addressing it. He stated that it is a legitimate question.
The discussion concerned the case of the Berlin deputy Vanessa Emde. The party leadership of Die Linke will meet over the weekend. Regarding the question of whether his party tolerates the denial of Israel’s right to exist in the Emde case, he replied that her issue is not about whether she opposes the right of Israel to exist. Instead, it concerns the question of a state solution where both Jewish people and Palestinians and Arab people can live together peacefully. Pantisano stated that what the Israeli government is currently doing is making it impossible for an independent Palestinian state to exist.
When asked whether Emde’s stance is a red line for the party, Pantisano referred to the ongoing proceedings. He mentioned that there is currently a legal process. The state association has requested her to step down from her mandate. He added that it is likely there will be a motion within the parliamentary group for her practical exclusion from the state parliament group and subsequently from the House of Representatives.
Pantisano dismissed the notion that Die Linke questions the right of Israel to exist. He argued that Die Linke should not challenge Israel’s right to exist, but rather clearly criticize the genocide perpetrated by the right-wing Israeli government in Gaza and the war crimes in the West Bank. He asserted that this also does not constitute antisemitism. He noted that Jewish people have made the conscious decision to have a state in Israel that protects them. However, Pantisano also stated that they advocate for the right of Palestine to exist, as Palestinians have not had a state that protects them until today.
Regarding housing issues, Pantisano maintained the promise of cheaper rents. In response to the argument that his co-chair, Ines Schwerdtner, admitted that rents could increase by up to two percent per year even after the socialization of large housing corporations, he responded that this promise can be kept because Vonovia is currently increasing rents by about five percent annually. According to Pantisano, socialization relates to a maximum of two percent increase, if rent increases occur at all, and these increases would then flow back into the housing for maintenance and renovations.
