Israel Demands Germany Halt Funding for Pastor Praising Hamas Attack

Israel's embassy in Berlin has demanded that the German state of Baden-Württemberg cease funding Palestinian pastor Mitri Raheb from Bethlehem, citing his support for the October 7th Hamas attacks. The embassy described Raheb's statements as "extremely serious" and stated that its consulate in Munich had formally expressed grave concerns to the Baden-Württemberg government, urging an immediate halt to all contact.

Raheb, president of the Dar al-Kalima University and a board member of the Bethlehem-Akademie, Dar al-Kalima e. V. association, posted on social media platform X on October 7th, stating that the pursuit of freedom surpasses the "colonial settler state" and that Palestinians demonstrate resilience and new forms of creative resistance. He expressed solidarity with Gaza residents and his university's staff and students, calling for prayers. Three days later, he posted again on X, reiterating that occupation is a source of resistance and that peace is impossible without justice, emphasizing the need for the decolonization of Palestine.

Critics have interpreted Raheb's statements as justification for the mass murder of Jews. The American organization Christians for Israel also condemned Raheb, with its founder John Hagee stating that anyone sponsoring Raheb's antisemitic views becomes an accomplice. Hagee called the funding of Raheb through German state and charitable funds a disgrace to Berlin, which he believes is fully aware of the situation, and asserted that Raheb's theological views are incompatible with Christianity.

The exact amount of funding from Baden-Württemberg to Raheb and his associated institutions is unknown. The state's coalition government, led by Cem Özdemir, has reportedly rejected repeated inquiries from Channel 14. In 2017, former Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann personally presented Raheb with a check for 30,000 euros. Critics point out that despite official statements against antisemitism and the BDS movement, the Green-led government continues to sponsor what they deem radical antisemitism.

Partnership projects with organizations in the Bethlehem area, including Dar al-Kalima University, are set to continue under agreements between the CDU and the Greens. Raheb, who studied in Germany, supports the boycott of Israel and subscribes to radical liberation theology that denies Jewish sovereignty. In 2012, BZ newspaper commentator Gunnar Schupelius described a conversation with Raheb as a hate-filled tirade of half-truths and outright lies, criticizing Raheb for comparing the Israeli separation barrier to the Berlin Wall and calling Israel an apartheid state while omitting Israeli deaths from terrorism prior to the barrier's construction.

Rabbi Avraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center urged Minister of the Interior Manuel Hagel and Minister-President Özdemir to take immediate action against Raheb, whom he accused of publicly justifying the mass murder of Jews. Cooper stressed that antisemitism should not be tolerated under the guise of bureaucratic procedures. Meanwhile, Stuttgart authorities, led by Mayor Frank Nopper, have faced criticism for promoting a pro-Palestinian event on the city's official portal. Despite accusations that organizers from the Stuttgart Palestinian Committee support terror and antisemitism, Özdemir has refused to designate the group as terrorist, and Nopper and Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism Michael Blume have been condemned for facilitating pro-Hamas activity. Courts in Hamburg have twice upheld the right to call Blume an antisemite. Blume's statements regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the current war have been criticized by former cabinet spokesperson Tal Heinrich for demonstrating a lack of moral clarity.

Critics estimate that Blume's and Baden-Württemberg's lenient attitude towards pro-Hamas, pro-Iranian, and antisemitic expressions fosters tolerance for growing jihadism and deadly antisemitism. The regional Office for the Protection of the Constitution characterized the Stuttgart Palestinian Committee as an organization engaged in extremist pro-Palestinian activities, yet Minister-President Özdemir has not banned it. Intelligence reports indicate that monitoring such groups is necessary due to their activities undermining peaceful coexistence and threatening Germany's foreign policy priorities.

In contrast, the Ministry of the Interior of Hesse banned the association Palästina e. V. on August 18th, stating its actions were directed against the constitutional order and international understanding. Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck emphasized that the ban was a clear response to rising antisemitism and suggested that similar grounds exist to ban the Stuttgart Palestinian Committee if there is political will. Jewish communities in Baden-Württemberg and across Germany are demanding Blume's resignation, citing his remarks as attacks on Israelis and German Jews that incite hatred. Blume previously blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the rise of antisemitism in Germany and Europe due to military actions against Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian movements. Holocaust survivor Roman Haller called Blume's statements outrageous, contradictory to Israel's right to self-defense, and effectively encouraging antisemitism. Haller stated that Blume denies Israel's right to self-defense and aids those seeking to destroy the Jewish state, demanding an apology and warning that continued accusations would make his fight against antisemitism impossible.

Furthermore, Baden-Württemberg remains the only German state maintaining municipal partnerships with Iran, with Freiburg University having a sister city relationship with Isfahan, a key launchpad for missile attacks on Israel. Mayor Martin Horn has refused to sever these ties, despite repeated calls from German Jewish communities and Iranian dissidents. The article also notes that the Stuttgart Palestinian Committee is considered by the regional Office for the Protection of the Constitution to be engaged in extremist pro-Palestinian activities.