The left in turmoil: BDS and genocide debate divide the party conference!

The left in turmoil: BDS and genocide debate divide the party conference!

The Berlin Left is facing a fateful party conference scheduled for November 15, 2025. On this day, Elif Eralp, a 44-year-old lawyer and member of parliament from Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, is to be named as the top candidate for the 2026 Berlin election. The party, which emerged as the strongest force in the federal election in February 2025, is consistently in second place in surveys. However, this party conference will be overshadowed by an intense debate about anti-Semitism, which could endanger peace within the party.

The discourse is fueled primarily by two motions that address support for the BDS movement and the use of the term “genocide” in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The BDS movement, which stands for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions,” has been campaigning for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and for equal rights for Arab Israelis since 2005. Critics of the movement accuse it of reproducing anti-Semitic rhetoric through its activities, reminiscent of the boycotts during National Socialism. While the Bundestag already condemned BDS as anti-Semitic in 2019, the movement's supporters, including the “Palestine Solidarity” working group, are calling for more intensive dialogue about the rights of Palestinians and specifically a boycott against Israeli institutions that support apartheid and occupation.

The controversy surrounding the term genocide

The party congress's second motion calls for the reporting on the situation in Gaza to be reconsidered and for the term genocide to be consistently used. This accusation is often made at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Despite this mix of positions, the discourse in Neukölln, a district where the left is strongly represented, is very tense. There was support here for anti-Semitic attacks that the local left did not adequately condemn. This leads to the party leadership, represented by co-chairs Kerstin Wolter and Maximilian Schirmer, seeking balance within the party.

Wolter emphasizes the need to acknowledge the pain of all affected groups and ensure that the left builds bridges in society. The internal rift could not only jeopardize the election prospects for 2026, but also have a major impact on the general image of the left in the public eye. Therefore, the party conference on November 15th is not only a crucial moment for Elif Eralp, but also for the future of the party itself.

The discussion about the BDS movement shows how widely the views within the left differ. Critics argue that supporting BDS endangers fundamental social and democratic values ​​of the Federal Republic. The inclusion of groups designated as terrorist organizations supports this accusation and leads to a complex debate about Israel and the Palestinians. bpb.de describes that the BDS demands, particularly the right of return for Palestinian refugees, could potentially endanger Israel's demographic composition and make the Jewish population a minority.

The decision about the future direction of the Left in this complex debate will be crucial at the party conference and is already emerging as one of the central challenges for Berlin's political landscape. rbb24.de emphasizes that the internal disputes will put the party to a severe test.