Dispute in Germany’s The Left party over member’s support for Israel

A dispute has emerged in Germany’s The Left party over a prominent member’s support for Israel over the war in Gaza.

Andreas Büttner, who serves as anti-Semitism commissioner for the eastern state of Brandenburg, is being threatened with expulsion from the far-left party over allegations he has publicly opposed its positions on the conflict.

In an application for his expulsion seen by dpa, nine members of the party argued Büttner “is consistently conspicuous on social media with statements regarding the Middle East conflict in which he not only clearly violates applicable party resolutions, but in some of his arguments also ignores applicable international law.”

Among their complaints was a post by Büttner on X that said “recognizing a Palestinian state would be the worst step one could take.”

In addition, the members highlighted Büttner’s criticism of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), an organization that Israel accuses of being infiltrated by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Büttner said he has been branded a “child murderer” and “genocide denier” on social media.

“For me, the focus must be on what it means when Jews are attacked in Brandenburg because the Israeli government makes decisions that people don’t like,” Büttner told dpa. While the Israeli government makes many mistakes, it is not his place to criticize them, he argued.

The commissioner has defended his position on the conflict.

“The party’s resolutions bind the party executive, but not every single member,” he told the Tagesspiegel newspaper. “Of course, members can have their own positions.”