Israel's ambassador in Germany: Die Linke victory is a threat to Jews in Berlin
Ron Prosor said the party's rise turns a theoretical threat into a "concrete and immediate existential danger."
Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, warned that the victory of the far-left party Die Linke in Berlin's regional election poses an existential threat to the city's Jewish community.
Prosor said the election result should alarm those concerned about the future of Jewish life in the German capital. "The strong showing of Die Linke in the Berlin election should worry everyone concerned about the continued existence of Jewish life in this city," he said.
Party background and backlash
Die Linke, the successor to the Communist party that ruled former East Germany, performed strongly in the vote, a result that has intensified scrutiny of the party's local branch in Berlin over alleged antisemitic positions related to the Middle East conflict.
The party's leading candidate, 45-year-old Elif Eralp, could become the first mayor of Berlin from Die Linke and the city's first mayor of Turkish origin if she succeeds. The Berlin branch has faced accusations of antisemitism because of its stances on the conflict in the Middle East.
Prosor added that the party has displayed what he called "absolutely uncontrolled antisemitism." He warned that "This gains a new political dimension with its rise at full strength. For the Jewish community in Berlin, the theoretical threat becomes a concrete and immediate existential danger."
In May, Eralp published a five-point plan in which she pledged to protect and strengthen Jewish life in Berlin.
Photo: DPA)
