Israel-Hamas War: ‘A General Suspicion That All Muslims Are Antisemites Doesn’t Help At All’

The Israel-Hamas conflict has been raging on for 18 days. Meanwhile, Germany’s antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein has condemned the country’s recent increase in anti-Jewish violence, expressing concerns over the situation potentially continuing to deteriorate.

As officials across Europe scramble to contain the spillover of tensions sparked by the war in the Middle East, Klein warned the situation in Germany risks transporting the country back to its “most horrific times”, highlighting the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered.

Crack Down On Expressions Of Support For Palestinians

In an interview with the Guardian, however, Klein also raised concerns over the freedoms of peaceful protesters being curtailed. “Because of course demonstrating is a basic right,” he noted. It comes as officials crack down on expressions of support for the Palestinians.

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Last week education authorities in Berlin decided to go a step further, telling schools they could ban students from wearing the Palestinian flag, kufiya scarf and “free Palestine” stickers. Klein said the debate was “very, very heated up”, while also highlighting Germany’s “historical situation”.

Germany Sees A Rise In Politically Motivated Crimes

Recent weeks have seen German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledge to take a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism. It comes as assailants hurled two molotov cocktails at a synagogue in central Berlin and the Star of David was found on facades of houses where Jews live.

Even before the Israel-Hamas war, Germany was already grappling with a rise in politically motivated crimes. “History has shown that in any crisis, antisemitism explodes,” said Klein, adding “a general suspicion that all Muslims are antisemites doesn’t help at all.”