Criticism of Amnesty International
“Apartheid” accusation against Israel shocks federal government
2/2/2022, 7:16 p.m
Amnesty International has accused Israel of treating Palestinians like an “inferior” ethnic group. The comparison with the former apartheid regime in South Africa triggered a wave of outrage worldwide. The federal government also finds clear words.
The German government has sharply distanced itself from the criticism of Israel by the human rights group Amnesty International. A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office issued a warning to the human rights activists: “With the current worrying increase in anti-Semitism in Europe, everyone who campaigns for human rights bears the responsibility not to involuntarily encourage it,” he said.
The federal government takes particular offense at Amnesty International’s accusation that Israel has set up a system of “apartheid” against the Palestinians. “We reject terms such as apartheid as well as the one-sided focus of criticism on Israel,” said the foreign ministry spokesman. “That is not helpful for a solution to the Middle East conflict.”
The spokesman pointed out that the federal government has repeatedly criticized Israel’s policies – for example in the area of settlement construction. “We not only address critical incidents directly with our Israeli partners, we also comment on them publicly,” he said.
The German Amnesty section is holding back
The German-Israeli Society (DIG) called on Amnesty to return the Nobel Peace Prize because of the Israel report. With the report, in which Israel is accused of a system of “apartheid” towards the Palestinians, Amnesty “finally and without a doubt exposed itself as anti-Semitic,” explained DIG President Uwe Becker. The organization wrongly received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Anyone who claims that the only democracy in the Middle East is an “apartheid state that treats Palestinians as an ‘inferior race’ is deliberately spreading lies and is not afraid to use National Socialist jargon,” criticized Becker. He accused Amnesty International of ignoring “realities” – such as the fact that 20 percent of the Israeli population consists of Palestinians “who clearly identify with the State of Israel”.
The new Israel report presented by Amnesty International made international headlines. The human rights organization accuses the State of Israel of treating Palestinians both in the occupied territories and in Israel itself as an “inferior” ethnic group and of “systematically depriving them of their rights”. The German Amnesty section declared that it would not take any action on this because of its “special responsibility” due to German history and in order to avoid “misinterpretations of the report”.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany had already accused Amnesty International of anti-Semitism and a “demonization” of Israel on Tuesday. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the report contained “lies” spread by “terrorist organizations.”