Germany's president sets up roundtable about Gaza without inviting Palestinians

Germany's president set up a roundtable to discuss events in the Middle East, including Gaza, without any Palestinians included.

The event titled 'How do we talk about the war in the Middle East?' will see Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, discussing the topic with Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank Educational Centre, journalist and podcaster Tilo Jung and Melody Sucharewicz, a political advisor and expert on German-Israeli relations. 

However, many critics have noticed the absence of Palestinians voices in the event, especially given the context of Israel's war on Gaza.

Berlin has been widely criticised for the unconditional support it has shown Israel during its assault on Gaza, which has killed around 35,000 people, and banning Palestinian protests and conferences in at home.

"The German president wants to discuss 'how we talk about the war in the Middle East' in a round table without any Palestinian voice -> actually a good demonstration of how the German discourse works and who remains at the margins," one user wrote on X.

The German president wants to discuss "how we talk about the war in the Middle East" in a round table without any Palestinian voice -> actually a good demonstration of how the German discourse works and who remains at the margins https://t.co/rxwrPTNNIt

— René Wildangel (@real_wildangel) April 25, 2024

Additionally, some also noted that Sucharewicz, a former foreign affairs adviser to Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, is known for her strong pro-Israel views and was one of the winners of Israel's popular show, The Ambassador, where hundreds of contestants engage in heated hasbara (Israeli propaganda) before an audience and judges. 

It is perhaps noteworthy that Sucharewicz is not an "expert for German-Israel relations" per se, but a former Hasbara Special Envoy of Israel to Germany who wrote articles for a blog classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by German domestic intelligence.

Great guest! https://t.co/Sf3FLTGm6p

— ⬢ Jens Wiechers ⬡ 🇺🇦 (@jwiechers) April 26, 2024

The former advisor has also written articles defending Israel's actions in Gaza, contributing to the blog Politically Incorrect, which the Office of the Protection of the Constitution in Germany has declared "extremist."

Crackdown on protests

Germany has been taking extreme measures to crack down on pro-Palestinian activism, most notably shutting down the Palestine Congress and barring one of the events speakers, Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, from entering the country.

The country deployed 900 police officers across Berlin to enforce the ban. Officers stormed the building, switched off the electricity, shut down the live stream of speakers, and ordered the 250 attendees to leave.

It has also clamped down on pro-Palestine activism, with the German police hassling protesters and restricting chants and Muslim prayers.

Germany has been one of Israel's strongest allies even before 7 October, with its staunch support being part of its atonement for the Holocaust.