A Day to Hate Israel – The Antisemitism of Al-Quds and its Origins in Iran

Der Al-Quds-Tag steht jährlich in der Kritik. Die Ursprünge im Iran und welche Konsequenzen jetzt folgen müssen hier im Artikel

It's the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, and it's Al-Quds Day again. This day is intended to commemorate Israel's illegal occupation of East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War of 1967. It was first proclaimed by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution in Iran . To this day, the mullahs in Iran portray themselves as enemies of democracy. Likewise, the international Al-Quds demonstrations do not stand for pluralistic values.

Al-Quds Day: Ayatollah Khomeini 1979 and the hatred of Israel

This year, Al-Quds Day was once again called for in several German cities, including Berlin and Frankfurt. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Hesse warns annually against these events, pointing to past slogans that rejected the state of Israel or even trivialized the terrorist organization Hezbollah . Since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, anti-Semitic events have increased dramatically in Germany. Al-Quds Day is part of this trend.

What exactly is it about? During the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini called on all Muslims in the world to gather on the last day of Ramadan to show solidarity with Palestine. A current Iranian government propaganda sheet states: " It is the day on which the superpowers must be taught that they can no longer advance in Islamic countries . " By superpowers, of course, they mean the USA and Israel. Khomeini is later quoted as saying, " Israel must be destroyed. " So it's not about peace in the Middle East or peaceful coexistence between the Jewish and Arab states. Israel is portrayed one-sidedly as an aggressor that has no right to exist and must be destroyed.

Criticism of Israel: Appropriate and desired!

Of course, Israel as a state also makes mistakes and even commits crimes. And to be clear again: simply criticizing Israel's (foreign) policy is not anti-Semitism. One example could be Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank . The Israeli state cites its own security interests in this regard. Since the Six-Day War, approximately 700,000 Jewish settlers have lived in the West Bank . However, this settlement is illegal under international law and is increasingly complicating a two-state solution to the conflict.

Or one refers in one's criticism to the right-wing religious-nationalist government under Benjamin Netanyahu. This government has been in office since 2022 and has often made radical statements. For example, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants to "wipe out" the Palestinian village of Huwara , and Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is now introducing the death penalty .

Al Quds means hatred of Jews and Israel!

But that's not what's at issue in Tehran, Frankfurt, or Berlin. It's about the rejection of Israel and the hatred of Jews . This includes the countless "pro-Palestine" events and anti-Semitic slogans that took place last year in the context of the war in Gaza. Reports of Jewish students being denied access to anti-Israel events at German universities made headlines.

Admittedly, this year's Al-Quds Day was nowhere near as well attended as in previous years. In Frankfurt , approximately 500 people participated. Nevertheless, they also paid homage to Iran's Islamist and anti-Semitic leaders, Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, on posters. Hesse's anti-Semitism commissioner called for stricter existing laws in the run-up to the event.

Al-Quds represents a continuity of anti-Semitism in Germany. The unspeakable protests and trivialization of the Holocaust of the previous year should actually have been a warning to finally prevent such events. What remains of the slogan "Never again is now" if the German state fails, almost 80 years after the end of World War II, to protect its Jewish fellow citizens from such an anti-Semitic threat? For the individual citizen, who is constantly being pressured by an interventionist state in the form of (additional) financial demands ( as is currently the case with the debt brake ), this is a massive breach of trust. They have a right to expect the government, on the other hand, to take all measures to protect them from such threats.

In the future, there must be no more Al-Quds Days, and the powers of the police and security authorities must be expanded. And even if the consequences are not easy, a change in migration policy can also lead to a long-term decline in anti-Semitic tendencies in Germany. If we do not resolutely oppose these forms of hatred, 'Never again' will become an empty phrase – it is up to all of us to actively advocate for a society that leaves no room for anti-Semitism.