Aydan Özoğuz and her Instagram derailment – ​​Olaf Scholz has to act

Opinion

That was a derailment. Bundestag Vice President Aydan Özoğuz (SPD) has at least implicitly questioned Israel’s right to exist on Instagram. That in itself is a breaking of a German taboo.

The posting is particularly sensitive because the Social Democrat is not just anyone, but the Vice President of the Bundestag. She represents the entire parliament and is one of the highest representatives of the state. This could now become a problem, for your party, but also for the Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Aydan Özoğuz’s post goes too far

First things first: Last week, Özoğuz distributed a post from the so-called “Jewish Voice for Peace” via her public Instagram channel. One photo showed an inferno of flames, above which was written: “This is Zionism.” In the accompanying text, Israel was accused of apartheid and colonialism. Özoğuz has since explained that she didn’t mean it like that. She hasn’t said what else she meant.

The post distributed by Özoğuz is a textbook example of the crucial tipping point in the German debate about the Middle East conflict: A distinction must be made between criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and questioning the existence of a Jewish state itself.

Of course, criticism of the Israeli conduct of the war in Gaza and Lebanon is possible in Germany: Yes, it is questionable whether the Israeli army respects international law in its campaign against Hamas and Hezbollah. Yes, there has been far too much blood being shed for far too long. Yes, the Israeli hostages must finally be released. Yes, one can discuss whether Germany should continue to support this campaign with weapons. Yes, there are actors who want to bring such statements close to anti-Semitism. But that is not a majority in Germany; Even the federal government is now sharply criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions.

The post that Özoğuz shared on Instagram over the weekend is not about any of that at all. The message she spread fundamentally questions the existence of the State of Israel. The Bundestag Vice President is apparently one of those who see “Zionism” (as her post read) – i.e. the pursuit of an independent Jewish state – as the sole culprit for the violence in the Middle East and sees Israel as a colonialist project.

Doesn’t Özoğuz know that the Jewish settlers came to Palestine as refugees and not as colonial masters? Doesn’t she know that the Mizrachim, Jews who were previously expelled from other Arab countries, also found refuge in Israel? Özoğuz’s posting also calls into question not only current Israel, but also every other possible Jewish country in the world; including those who may behave differently than the current right-wing conservative government does and than Israeli politicians did in the past. Hopefully the Vice President of the Bundestag has now understood this crucial difference.

And what does the Chancellor’s party actually say?

From her Instagram post, one has to assume that she is doubting an important lesson of the Holocaust. This is: Jews need a safe home in the world. The Social Democrat didn’t just hurt feelings, as she states in her dry statement. By spreading the post, Özoğuz takes the decisive step further: The Bundestag Vice President fundamentally equates the pursuit of a Jewish state with brutal violence. In the past, Özoğuz stood out as a politician who called for more dialogue in debates about the Middle East. Your posting, on the other hand, is similar to the end of a relationship via a short message: with a majority of the Jews in the world.

What is particularly surprising is how her party reacts to the derailment. When asked about it, the otherwise thoughtful parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich responded with a statement along the lines of “Don’t forget it!” Resignation is not up for debate. Otherwise, shrugging of the shoulders is particularly noticeable in the Chancellor’s party.

This is strange. You can’t, on the one hand, condemn almost all protests by Palestinians in your Sunday speeches, and at the same time stand like a mantra on the side of the Jews in the world, but then ignore it when Israel’s existence is questioned within your own ranks. And how does it come together that the slogan “From the river to the sea” is said to be a criminal offense according to the Social Democratic Interior Minister, but the Bundestag Vice President from the same party is now supposed to get away with a brief explanation?

A Bundestag Vice President serves as a role model. Where is your anger, dear Social Democrats? Where is the criticism from Özoğuz’s political foster father Olaf Scholz? Did he at least call her once? If a high representative of this state and its party questions the existence of the Jewish state, a Social Democratic Chancellor cannot studiously ignore it. Something crucial would then have been overturned in this country.