Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt Removes Recording of Dialogue Event with Combatants for Peace for “Antisemitic Narratives”

On January 24, 2024, the Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt (Evangelical Academy of Frankfurt) hosted an event titled “Paths to Peace for Israel and Palestine” which took the form of a discussion with Osama Elewat and Rotem Levin, two members of Combatants for Peace (CFP). CFP is an award-winning organization made up of Palestinians and Israelis who are “working together through non-violent means to promote peace.” The event was live streamed and a recording was initially made available. This was soon taken down, however, by the academy.

In a public statement on January 31, 2024, the academy cited “justified criticism” that the event “served antisemitic narratives that cannot be left uncommented upon.” They explained that they took down the video to “prevent the antisemitic narratives, motifs and positions contained therein from being further disseminated.” A co-organiser of the event, Rheinmetall-Entwaffnen RheinMain, expressed “astonishment” at their reasoning, stating that “the accusation of antisemitism against the friends of Combatants for Peace is unspeakable and, moreover, threatening for the two, who are returning to Israel.” Rheinmetall-Entwaffnen also cited a response from the academy in which the academy specified their reason to delete the video with "statements by Osama Elewat and Rotem Levin, who characterize the state of Israel as an apartheid state against which resistance is necessary."

Rheinmetall-Entwaffnen RheinMain has provided an English transcript and a German translation of the event, where Osama and Rotem shared their personal histories as a Palestinian and an Israeli. During the discussion, Osama defined his living situation as follows: When someone living five minutes away from me has different rights, different laws, and different nationalities – all the rights, and I don’t – this is apartheid.” An audience member expressed shock at the use of this term, which they saw as creating “incredible reluctance and no sensitivity during conversations for each other and with each other,” and asked for more “sensitive language.”

In defending the term apartheid, Rotem then remarked that it was used by various human rights organizations, and, after listing the infrastructure, freedom and rights that he has as an Israeli which are unavailable to Palestinians like Osama, said that he “agree[s] with them 100%.” He then emphasized the need to “call things by their names,” even at the risk of being labeled antisemitic, as a step towards acknowledging what is happening, in order to “correct” it and achieve “freedom, justice, equality and safety for everyone.”