It is forbidden to criticize Israel Has Germany's Deutsche Welle fallen into the square of terrorism thought?

Deutsche Welle claims to be a platform that provides “unbiased information for free minds,” but it contradicts itself by firing its Arab employees for using their right to freedom of expression. The German channel's acquiescence to the pressures of the Zionist lobby was repeated in several forums to deny the rights of the Palestinian people.

Deutsche Welle's dismissal of 5 of its Arab employees, after its investigations alleged that they had "anti-Semitic" tendencies, caused shock in the media and press circles and among its followers, especially Arabs, due to the apparent contradiction between its decision and what the institution claims to adopt of professional standards and slogans of freedom of opinion. and expression.

As described by the Palestinian journalist Maram Salem, one of the female journalists targeted by the German channel’s decision, the questions that were asked during the interrogation that were conducted with her surprised her greatly, “as they are usually asked only by a security body working for a repressive state and it is similar to the question of intelligence men.” According to what Salem said in exclusive statements to TRT Arabi .

Scapegoat

Deutsche Welle decided on Tuesday to dismiss four employees, including the Lebanese journalist Basil Al-Aridi and the Palestinian Maram Salem, in addition to a collaborator from abroad who is also Lebanese, from its Arab department after two months of investigations.

The investigations were conducted under the supervision of the former German Minister of Justice, Sabine Leuthäuser-Schnarenberger, on suspicion that they had expressed, in social media posts and newspaper articles, “anti-Semitic views” and anti-Israel policies, according to the allegations.

Maram Salem, who said that she was surprised by the decision to stop her work with the German channel and refer her to the investigation, considered that Deutsche Welle "made its arbitrary decision in order to get rid of embarrassment because of any problems related to its financing, and we were all scapegoats and the investigation was just a media front."

In a Facebook post, the Palestinian journalist criticized what she described as "the illusion of freedom of expression in Europe", stressing that there are "many red lines if we decide to talk about the issue." Meanwhile, activists criticized the dismissal decision, which not only contradicts the slogans of freedom of opinion, but also holds journalists accountable retroactively for publications and opinions they adopted years before their work on German radio.

Intellectual terrorism

Germany sings slogans about freedom of expression and the defense of human rights, and the German government-owned channel Deutsche Welle claims on its official page that it is a platform that provides "unbiased information for free minds" and that "we give everyone around the world the opportunity to form their own opinions."

The channel is also proud of conveying an image of Germany as a "liberal democratic country", and that it aims to be "a forum for German and other views to promote understanding and exchange of ideas between different cultures and peoples", within the framework of focusing on "freedom, human rights, democracy and governance." Rashid," she said.

It is clear that the German establishment is contradicting itself, as its arbitrary decision to dismiss its Arab employees for using their natural right to express opinion comes within the framework of what observers have called "intellectual terrorism", which contradicts in form and substance with the establishment's claims of impartiality and giving everyone the opportunity to form their own opinions.

In the same context, an investigation by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor concluded that “the report of the Deutsche Welle Commission of Inquiry has problems that undermine its findings, and that its framework, analysis and recommendations include numerous evidence of bias in favor of Israel against the Palestinians and includes many Israeli points of view, It seeks to create a stronger bias for Israel in the German media, and to reduce the space for Palestinian and pro-Israel voices.

The Guilt Complex and the Legacy of the Holocaust

Germany and Israel have exceptional and strong relations that were formed in the wake of the end of World War II, which was punctuated by Nazi crimes against the Jews in Europe, or what is known historically as the "Holocaust." Judaism because of the Holocaust.

Deutsche Welle repeatedly acquiesced in several forums to the pressures of the Zionist lobby in Germany, which ceased to incite the political and media circles in Berlin to suppress the rights of the Palestinian people. For example , German radio restricted the publication of reports criticizing Israel during the fierce Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in May last year.

And a leaked internal document from Deutsche Welle, which was published at the time on social media during the brutal Israeli aggression, stated that "the legacy of the Holocaust and Germany's special responsibility towards Israel remain the cornerstone of the country's constitution and foreign policy."

"We at Deutsche Welle never question Israel's right to exist as a state, nor do we allow the people in our coverage to do so," German Radio Editor-in-Chief Manuela Kasper-Clarridge recommended to staff through the document, adding: "We never refer to the segregation system." Racist in Israel. We also avoid referring to colonialism or colonizers."