Middle East - Bushman for commitment to Israel in naturalizations
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann believes that the obligation introduced in Saxony-Anhalt to acknowledge Israel's right to exist before naturalization is sensible and understandable. "I think one can certainly argue that Israel's right to exist is, so to speak, also an outgrowth of the free democratic basic order," the FDP politician told the German Press Agency.
He added: "There is a very special connection between Germany and Israel - Germany's responsibility for the National Socialist reign of injustice and the Holocaust."
The Interior Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang (CDU), issued a decree in November instructing the state's naturalization authorities to require people who wish to become German citizens to make a corresponding declaration of faith. The following wording was recommended: "I expressly recognize the special German responsibility for the state of Israel and Israel's right to exist and condemn any anti-Semitic efforts. I neither pursue nor have I pursued efforts directed against the right of the State of Israel to exist." According to the decree, anyone who does not wish to make this declaration cannot be naturalized.
Draft law of the traffic light
In this context, the Federal Minister of Justice also referred to the provision in the planned new citizenship law of the traffic light coalition, according to which a conviction for a racist or anti-Semitic crime should in principle prevent naturalization. He said: "Naturalization can also be ruled out for problematic statements below the threshold of criminal liability."
This is because the prerequisite for naturalization is that the naturalization applicant is committed to the free and democratic basic order. Administrative courts have ruled that "mere lip service" is not sufficient. "If someone incites hatred against the free democratic basic order on social networks, for example, I think it is right that they should be denied naturalization," said Buschmann. This would then also have a general preventative effect, "so that people think twice about what they say".
Controversial slogan
Buschmann has no doubt that the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" should generally be banned. When asked by journalists in November, Maximilian Kall, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior, explained: "If this slogan is used as a symbol of Hamas, then it is banned by the ban on activity that the Federal Ministry of the Interior has imposed on Hamas in Germany." This would then also be prosecutable under criminal law and allow the police to intervene at demonstrations.
"There was initially a discussion about whether the slogan should only be banned in a certain context," said Buschmann. However, he was of the opinion that this sentence was "an explicit statement" by the Islamist Hamas and the pro-Palestinian network Samidoun, which was also banned by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), and was therefore prohibited.
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- The controversial slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" has been banned in Germany due to its association with the pro-Palestinian network Samidoun, which was also banned, according to Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann.
- Buschmann believes that requiring individuals seeking naturalization in Saxony-Anhalt to acknowledge Israel's right to exist is a sensible and understandable obligation, as it aligns with Germany's democratic values.
- The Interior Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang, from the CDU party, issued a decree in November requiring naturalization applicants to declare their acknowledgment of Israel's right to exist and Germany's special responsibility towards Israel before they can be granted citizenship.
- Buschmann emphasizes that naturalization applicants must demonstrate a commitment to the free and democratic basic order, and any hate speech or incitement against it can lead to their denial of naturalization.
- The German Press Agency reported that Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann supports the provision in the proposed new citizenship law of the traffic light coalition, which would prohibit naturalization for individuals convicted of racist or anti-Semitic crimes.
- The slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" has been used by extremist groups such as Hamas as a symbol of their goal to eliminate Israel, which is prohibited in Germany due to its support for terrorism.
- The ban on this slogan, according to Buschmann, serves as a deterrent against hate speech and incitement, encouraging individuals to be careful with their public statements to avoid facing consequences for promoting extremist ideologies.
- Critics argue that the provision in the new citizenship law could potentially deny naturalization to individuals who have not been convicted of any crime but still hold controversial views on Israel, raising concerns about freedom of speech and democracy in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
