Daily Hummus

2021-12-01 20:04:36 Next week, the Israeli Institute for National and Security Studies (INSS) is hosting an event to mark the 30th anniversary of Israeli-Russian relations. I was invited to participate in the panel discussion on geopolitics from Russian, Israel, American and European perspective, but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. Therefore, the panel consists of six men, including the moderator. An all-male panel. Something unthinkable in European think tanks. I am not surprised at the Russian and Israeli participants. But, dear Americans, where are your female analysts? Don't tell me there aren't any.

In this context, I would like to point to the refreshing section of the new German coalition agreement on feminist foreign policy:

"Together with our partners, we want to strengthen the rights, resources and representation of women and girls worldwide and promote social diversity in the spirit of a Feminist Foreign Policy. We want to send more women to international leadership positions, ambitiously implement and further develop the National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Resolution 1325." (p. 144)

This is the first time that women's feminist policy is explicitly mentioned in a coalition agreement. And this is a great merit of the party "The Greens" and the Social Democrats.

The resolution that it mentions calls on all actors to increase the participation of women and to include gender perspectives in all peace and security efforts of the United Nations.

And I think the geopolitics between Russia, Israel, and the United States is certainly one of them. Let´s hope this will become a given in years to come.

https://www.inss.org.il/event/russia-israel/ Open / Comment

2021-11-26 10:53:57 The new coalition agreement in Germany has almost one page on future relations with Israel. Next to common phrases about the two-state-solution and illegal settlements there some surprises. The biggest one in my opinion is the condemnation of the so called antisemitic stance of the UN. An accusation often voiced here and there but until yet unheard in official statements.
Alexandra Appelberg included my comments on the coalition agreement in her yesterday's piece. In Russian. Open / Comment

2021-09-27 11:59:48 For in-depth analysis on the Middle East follow Alexandra's channel (in Russian) Open / Comment

2021-09-27 11:53:04 After yesterday's federal election in Germany, the Social Democrats (SPD) are leading with just one percent ahead of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU). Who will become chancellor remains unclear. Coalition talks may continue into the new year. In the run-up to the election, I spoke with Alexandra Appelberg about the implications for German-Israeli relations. https://detaly.co.il/posle-merkel-chego-izrailyu-zhdat-ot-vyborov-v-germanii/ Open / Comment

2021-09-04 13:13:29 My piece for "Jüdische Allgemeine" in which I reflect on whether to negotiate with terrorists and compare Taliban with Hamas. In German.

"Mit Terroristen sprechen? | Jüdische Allgemeine" https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/mit-terroristen-sprechen/?amp Open / Comment

2021-09-02 13:35:51 A year ago, I began researching why Jewish-Arab coalitions are the rule in Israeli local politics, but taboo at the national level. The result is obvious. At the local level, explosive questions about the identity of the state and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict play no role; instead, the focus is on building roads and schools, equipping hospitals, and investing in infrastructure. The interests of Jews, Arabs and Israeli citizens in general are the same here. This way of thinking - focusing on what is feasible - has now also proven successful at the national level. Voila, we have a Jewish-Arab government that can work thanks to its pragmatism and non-explosive choice of issues.
My article on local politics was published today: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-16-2717-0_5-1 Open / Comment

2021-08-30 11:31:09 What follows Merkel? This is of interest not only to the Germans, but also to other countries that have been able to rely on the continuity and reliability of German politics for 16 years. I spoke with Haaretz about Merkel's relationship with Israel and Netanyahu. The interview is my personal highlight, where, thanks to Israeli journalistic egalitarianism, I was interviewed together with Ehud Olmert.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-merkel-s-israel-legacy-a-true-friend-but-not-to-netanyahu-1.10153196 Open / Comment

2021-07-14 21:24:23 Explaining Israel after Netanyahu:

https://www.br.de/mediathek/video/alpha-demokratie-israel-nach-netanjahu-av:60b7695425c178000807c2df Open / Comment

2021-06-21 16:51:21 Israel and Jews as an election issue III, IV

3. CDU politician Middelberg proposes stricter naturalization laws for Antisemites. Persons who have become known for antisemitic statements and have a criminal record in this regard should no longer be naturalized in Germany.

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/antisemitismus-cdu-innenexperte-mathias-middelberg-will-einbuergerung-verhindern-a-719f2a8f-94cb-4dab-967a-15d0abc73a8c

4. SPD (Social Democrats) parliamentary group of the Bundestag wants to renegotiate the air traffic agreement with Kuwait Airline. Kuwait Airline does not carry Israeli nationals. In return, the airline may be deprived of landing rights in Germany.

"Diskriminierung von Israelis: Regierung bleibt bei Kuwait Airways untätig - WELT" https://amp.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article231920151/Diskriminierung-von-Israelis-Regierung-bleibt-bei-Kuwait-Airways-untaetig.html Open / Comment

2021-06-18 18:39:22 Israel and Jews as an election issue I, II


On September 26, Germany will hold federal elections. Merkel is making way for a new chancellor. The CDU and the Greens are engaged in a neck-and-neck race. In the process, Israel and the block of issues related to it in Germany - such as Antisemitism and Holocaust - are discovered as an election issue.
Since in Germany there is basically solidarity with Israel in all parties, there are at most nuances that can be exploited. While in the US the gap between Democrats and Republicans on this issue is widening, in Germany every party from the left-wing DIE LINKE to the right-wing populist AFD agrees on unwavering support for Israel. At least in broad terms.
The minor differences are mostly highlighted with domestic political intentions and this time for the purpose of the election campaigns.

Two examples. And I am sure much more will follow in the coming weeks.

1. At the party conference of the Green Party, where the candidate for chancellor Annalena Baerböck was confirmed, the well-known author and journalist Carolin Emcke gave a short speech. She said:

"There will certainly be talk of the elite again, and presumably it will not be the Jews and cosmopolitans, not the feminists or virologists, who will be warned about, but the climate researchers."

This sentence was just perfect for willfull misunderstanding. The secretary general of the CDU, Paul Zemiak, took the equation of "Jews" with "feminists, virologists, climate researchers" as an opportunity to immediately tweet:

"This is an unbelievable + history-forgetting derailment at the party conference of the Greens."

This gave the conservative and populist newspapers BILD and WELT the occasion to accuse Emcke and thus the entire Green Party of Antisemitism and Holocaust trivialization.

2. The CDU, on the other hand, has been acting as a particularly pro-Jewish/pro-Israel party.
After the latest antisemitic marches in German cities during the last escalation between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in May, the CDU is working on a ban of Hamas flags.The very symbolic (and useless) law is expected to be passed with 100 percent of votes in favor as early as June. Open / Comment