BERLIN April 27. 2024 (Saba) - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday canceled a panel discussion on the Zionist aggression on Gaza, which was scheduled to be held at his official residence in Berlin, amid criticism for not inviting any Palestinian voice to participate.
This comes as the Metropolitan Police began removing a pro-Palestine sit-in camp outside the parliament building set up to demand that the government stop arms exports to the enemy and end the "criminalization of the Palestinian solidarity movement."
At an event titled "How do we talk about the war in the Middle East?" Steinmeier was scheduled to meet at Bellevue Palace on Thursday, where he will speak and discuss the issue with three guests: Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank Education Center, journalist Thilo Young, and Melody Sucharevich, an expert on German-Israeli relations.
In recent days, the event has been criticized for the absence of any Palestinian voice.
The German presidential office justified the decision to cancel the event, saying: "We have come to the conclusion that the roundtable, which was scheduled for the second of next May, does not serve the goal of promoting social peace in the current tense situation.
Therefore, the event will not be held at the same time."
The office added that the German president has organized several dialogue sessions since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on October 7, "with the aim of combating anti-Semitism, hatred and violence, opening the way for the pain of all parties, facilitating dialogue and promoting social peace, by inviting dialogue partners with different positions, points of view and backgrounds."
Al-hamadani
This comes as the Metropolitan Police began removing a pro-Palestine sit-in camp outside the parliament building set up to demand that the government stop arms exports to the enemy and end the "criminalization of the Palestinian solidarity movement."
At an event titled "How do we talk about the war in the Middle East?" Steinmeier was scheduled to meet at Bellevue Palace on Thursday, where he will speak and discuss the issue with three guests: Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank Education Center, journalist Thilo Young, and Melody Sucharevich, an expert on German-Israeli relations.
In recent days, the event has been criticized for the absence of any Palestinian voice.
The German presidential office justified the decision to cancel the event, saying: "We have come to the conclusion that the roundtable, which was scheduled for the second of next May, does not serve the goal of promoting social peace in the current tense situation.
Therefore, the event will not be held at the same time."
The office added that the German president has organized several dialogue sessions since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on October 7, "with the aim of combating anti-Semitism, hatred and violence, opening the way for the pain of all parties, facilitating dialogue and promoting social peace, by inviting dialogue partners with different positions, points of view and backgrounds."
Al-hamadani
resource : SABA