"Wipe Jews off the map"? Fierce dispute over Left Party politician's Israel post

It's supposed to be a moment of celebration: On Friday and Saturday, the Left Party will meet for its federal party conference in Chemnitz, the first major gathering since its unexpected victory in the federal election in February, in which the Left Party garnered 8.8 percent of the second vote. But shortly before the meeting, a dispute over the Middle East conflict has erupted.

On Tuesday, federal board member Ulrike Eifler posted an image on the platform X with the hashtag "FreePalestine." It reads, in English, "All united for a free Palestine." It also shows a map showing both Israel and the Palestinian territories, depicting hands in the Palestinian national colors.

This has drawn criticism. Journalist and FDP politician Tobias Huch wrote that he had filed a complaint for incitement to hatred and the rewarding and condoning of criminal offenses. The president of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck , responded: "On your map, there aren't two states, but rather, according to your proposal, only one Palestinian one. Correct?" On Friday, the Israeli embassy responded. In an X article, it stated that Eifler wanted to remove Jews from the map. It continued: "Demonizing Israel in order to gain traction with young and immigrant voters is cynical vote-catching under the guise of human rights."

The Left: Board decision against board member

But Eifler's move is apparently also causing unrest within the party. On Thursday, a holiday in Berlin, the party executive board published a resolution titled: "The right of the State of Israel to exist is non-negotiable for us."

In it, the executive board explicitly speaks out against calls, statements, and visual representations "that, under the guise of solidarity with the Palestinian population, deny the existence of Israel or advocate for its annihilation." The party executive board further demands that such representations be deleted from social media. The executive board's resolution appears to be directly directed against the post by board member Eifler. She has not yet deleted her post; it can still be found on her X profile.

The executive board's decision is also intended to bring calm to the party before the convention. Due to the deadline, the issue will not be explicitly addressed, but it will certainly generate discussion among the delegates. In the past, the Middle East conflict has repeatedly caused discontent within the Left Party. Parts of the party openly declare their solidarity with Israel, while others have anti-Zionist tendencies.

For example, Klaus Lederer from Berlin, who formerly served in the Left Party's House of Representatives, left the party in October 2024 along with other prominent members because of the party's handling of anti-Semitism and Israel. When newly elected MP Cansin Köktürk had her photographed wearing a so-called keffiyeh (a Palestinian scarf) in the Bundestag in April , criticism of her behavior was voiced within the party.