Berlin: The Greens and the SPD interrupt explorations with the left – because of a member of parliament

Berlin. The Berlin Left accepts Vanessa Emde into its parliamentary group - and the potential coalition partners interrupt the explorations. The Greens and the SPD announced that both parties had “acknowledged that the Left had reached other agreements in their parliamentary group.”\n\nThe explorations would therefore be interrupted “in order to assess whether our agreement from last week still applies,” it continued. “We expect the Left to make it clear to us to what extent they want to take the agreements we have reached seriously and implement them.”\n\nParts of the Berlin Left are repeatedly criticized for their positions on Israel and Palestine and anti-Semitism. The Left, the Greens and the SPD in Berlin had therefore reached an agreement last week before the start of exploratory talks on how they would deal with anti-Semitic incidents in the ranks of the Left in the event of a coalition. Sanctions up to and including exclusion from the parliamentary group are also being considered. This understanding has caused heated debates within the Left in recent days.\n\nEmde is controversial because of repeated anti-Israel statements. It was therefore expected that she would be excluded from the group. However, like all left-wing MPs, Emde signed a declaration at the parliamentary group's inaugural meeting with which the parliamentary group expressly committed itself to the fight against anti-Semitism, the protection of Jewish life and Israel's right to exist.\n\nThe parliamentary group rejects Hamas and other Islamist terrorist groups, the statement continues. “Of course, anti-Semitic hate slogans, approval of Hamas's terror or demands for the annihilation of Israel must be stopped.”\n\nBut it must be possible to show sympathy and concern for the “population of a war zone” and to demonstrate for peace. It is clear that the left is committed to a just peace in Israel and Palestine.