"An anti-Israel event scheduled to be held next week in the German
Parliament by the country’s far left political party was cancelled on
Thursday after party leaders learned that controversial American
anti-Israel activist Max Blumenthal had been invited to attend,
according to German media reports."
"Blumenthal, an anti-Israel activist who has compared the Jewish State to Nazi Germany, had been invited to speak at the event by members of
Germany’s Left Party, the East German Communist Party’s successor."
"The event was to focus on Palestinian statehood and was scheduled to
take place on Monday, the day after the commemoration of Kristallnacht,
in which Nazis murdered Jews and ransacked their businesses."
"However, Gregor Gysi, the Left Party’s leader, put a stop to the
event early Thursday, telling Germany-based reporter Benjamin Weinthal
that “the event will not take place,” according to a Berlin newspaper report headlined, “Gysi Stops Conference of ‘Israel Haters.’”
"Observers expressed surprise that the far left wing political
party—which is often critical of Israel and has been accused of
anti-Semitism itself—would find Blumenthal out of bounds."
“Gregor Gysi carved a line in the sand and is going to great efforts
now to stem a rising level of Israel hatred not only within the party,
but also across Germany,” Weinthal told the Washington Free Beacon.
