Free Republic

A regional court in Germany has decided that a brutal attempt to set fire to a local synagogue in 2014 was an act meant to express criticism against Israel's conduct in its ongoing conflict with Gaza A German regional court in the city of Wuppertal affirmed a lower court decision last Friday stating that a violent attempt to burn the city's synagogue by three men in 2014 was a justified expression of criticism of Israel’s policies.Johannes Pinnel, a spokesman for the regional court in Wuppertal, outlined the court’s decision in a statement. Three German Palestinians sought to torch the Wuppertal...

Those of you who thought that German anti-Semitism died in Hitler's bunker were sadly mistaken. I am currently reading German reporter Tuvia 'Tobi' Tenenbaum's Catch the Jew, in which Tenenbaum, who grew up as an Israeli Haredi, poses as a German reporter to gain access to 'Palestinians' and self-hating Jews. One of the things that's striking about the book is how much of the 'Palestinians' day-to-day activities are financed by European government NGO's (yes, that's why we just adopted an NGO law), and how many of those NGO's are financed by Germans. Why? Because many Germans, including those in...

A school built in Gaza using German funds is educating their students on hatred and violence for Israel and providing children with military training At the end of March, a Hamas-affiliated news agency distributed a video showing a Palestinian teacher indoctrinating school children with hatred for Israel and support for an armed struggle against it. The teacher used the letters of the Arabic alphabet as a didactic tool to teach them "the fundamental Palestinian national principles" even before they learn to read. The video did not specify the name of the school; however, data collected by the Intelligence and Terrorism...

TEHRAN, July 20 (Reuters) - Germany and Iran moved tentatively on Monday towards reviving a once close trade relationship, anticipating the lifting of western economic sanctions against Tehran following a landmark nuclear deal. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, making the first top level German government visit to Tehran in 13 years, indicated that a ministerial-level meeting of a long dormant German-Iran economic commission would take place early next year in Tehran. Gabriel signalled the move at a meeting with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh during the visit, which is also the first to the country by a senior member of...

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized Israel's opposition to a nuclear deal agreed by six world powers and Iran, saying the agreement will help contribute to security in the Middle East. "This is a responsible deal and Israel should also take a closer look at it and not criticize the agreement in a very coarse way," Steinmeier told German broadcaster ARD in an interview on Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as a "stunning, historic mistake" and said it would enable Iran to pursue a path to nuclear weapons. But Steinmeier said the basis for the...

The Israeli embassy in Germany, led by Ambassador Ya’akov Hadas, has decided to come forward and reveal the shocking German anti-Semitism it is subjected to on a daily basis. Channel 10 reports that a Berlin newspaper this week published a video of Hadas reading to reporters anti-Semitic letters sent to the embassy every day, which have swelled in number in the months since Operation Protective Edge to at least 20 letters and e-mails daily. “Israel murders,” “I’m happy Hitler destroyed you,” and “humanity will live in peace when the last Jewish rat is in a grave” are just a small...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will fully support efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to relaunch the Middle East peace process during her upcoming visit to Israel. “We need, as soon as possible, a stable two-country solution, with a Jewish state of Israel and at the same time a state for the Palestinians,” Merkel said in her weekly podcast. …

German Chancellor Merkel Angela Merkel met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday and called on Israel to show restraint with its settlement policy so as not to jeopardize the ongoing Middle East talks. In a joint press conference with Abbas in Berlin, Merkel said a grand-coalition government in Berlin would continue to provide aid to the Palestinian Territories. “We have always advocated a two-state solution. We have always advocated aiding and supporting the Palestinian Territories, advancing the peace process, advancing economic development and I am pretty sure we will conduct our foreign policy with this continuity,” Merkel said. …

The world is officially nuts. I’m not sure how else you classify what follows. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany recently remarked on the death of mass murderer Osama bin Laden saying was “glad” he’d been killed. That prompted the following from a German judge: But Hamburg judge Heinz Uthmann went even further. He alleges that the chancellor’s statement was nothing short of illegal, and filed a criminal complaint against Merkel midweek, the daily Hamburger Morgenpost reported Friday.“I am a law-abiding citizen and as a judge, sworn to justice and law,” the 54-year-old told the paper, adding that Merkel’s words were...