10.10.2023

By Remko Leemhuis. This article was first published at Die Welt. 

With its repugnant statement on the war in Israel, the Central Council of Muslims has forfeited its right to have any say in public affairs, writes our guest author. And the German government must rethink its policy towards Iran.

Palestinian terrorists have indiscriminately murdered Israeli civilians on the street, at bus stops, in their homes and cars. According to reports by survivors, hundreds of visitors to a music festival were executed in cold blood. And as though all this were not already an unfathomable nightmare, the clerical fascists of Hamas have also abducted over 100 Israelis and taken them to the Gaza Strip.

Photographs and videos show these people, some of them lifeless, being beaten, spat upon, humiliated, and violated by a frenzied antisemitic mob. The images of these barbaric acts are almost unbearable and still continue. Nevertheless, they can come as no surprise when one recalls that children are indoctrinated with a murderous hatred of Jews even in school textbooks.

The events since last Saturday, the images we see and the stories we hear from survivors, are a moment of clarity. Anyone who cannot condemn this pogrom, the targeted murder of Jews because they are Jews, without “ifs” and “buts”, who is not even capable of this absolute minimum, is now and forever on the wrong side politically and morally. There are no gray areas here and there is no more room for differentiation.

Therefore, the disgraceful and repugnant statement by the Central Council of Muslims (ZMD) should finally lead to the political isolation of this organization, in which representatives of the Iranian regime are gathered alongside Turkish fascists and other Islamists. No discussion, invitation or even cooperation is now possible or justifiable with the ZMD.

The same applies to all those who gather under the banner of BDS and those who sympathize with or support this antisemitic campaign - especially in the field of art and culture – far into the middle of society. The times of refined and differentiated discussions in the salons and some editorial offices of this republic about what exactly this movement is striving for and what its goal is are over. The images of this monstrous crime show what the slogan used by BDS and others, “From the River to the Sea”, means.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that the military response to this antisemitic mass murder aims to destroy Hamas. This means that the Jewish State's military response this time will be much tougher and even more determined than in the many previous battles with Hamas. This means that the country is facing difficult weeks, perhaps months, ahead.

This stated goal of the Israeli military is relevant to the question of what can be done here in Germany. In German foreign and domestic policy, many things need to be reconsidered, some even fundamentally. How can it be that a mob is gathering in the middle of Berlin to cheer on this antisemitic mass murder? What does it mean for future policy towards Iran, without whose support Hamas and Islamic Jihad would never have been able to carry out such an attack?

The terrorists probably even acted in collusion with the mullahs. At least with regard to the “Islamic Republic”, the German government should now take the initiative to finally put the Revolutionary Guard on the EU's terrorist list.

Israel’s Right to Self-Defense

There will be sufficient time in the future to discuss all further questions and consequences. Like any other state, Israel not only has the right to self-defense, but also the duty to protect its citizens. The Israeli security forces and military will once again do everything they can to protect civilians - including those behind whom Hamas is hiding. However, it should be clear in this context that only Hamas, Islamic Jihad and its biggest supporter Iran are responsible for innocent victims on the Palestinian side.

Now is not the time for colorful demands!

Anyone who wants to stand by Israel now should not use the situation to attack their political rivals or make particularly colorful demands. What is important in the coming weeks, perhaps even months, is to provide political support to the Israeli government, the population, and the armed forces, to stand behind them and to give them their full backing in all the measures and decisions that are now necessary.

At least, if the familiar expression that Israel's security is a part of Germany’s raison d'état is truly meant. Only when we succeed in transforming this momentary wave of solidarity into a fundamental, cross-party, and enduring position will the concept of raison d'état take on a substantive meaning.