Pro-Israel Advocate Condemns Coalition with Die Linke Over Antisemitism

Volker Beck, former Green MP and president of the German-Israeli Society, sharply criticised the planned Red-Green-Red coalition in Berlin on 21 October 2026, telling reporters that it was 'completely incomprehensible' that the SPD and Greens would ally with a party where antisemitism is systemic. Beck's criticism centred on Die Linke's Berlin faction, specifically citing Left Party legislator Vanessa Emde, whose statements questioning Israel's right to exist had already triggered internal disciplinary proceedings and a possible faction expulsion. Beck argued that Die Linke had consistently failed to address antisemitism and anti-Zionism seriously within its ranks. The controversy is directly reflected in the exploratory paper produced after the Berlin state election — in which Die Linke finished first with 25.7 per cent — which contains an explicit antisemitism clause that SPD and Greens insisted upon as a coalition condition. Whether the clause is strong enough to satisfy critics like Beck or too strong for parts of Die Linke's base remains a central tension heading into the decisive party congress vote on 31 October.