German Social Democratic Party leader Saskia Esken boycotts Bernie Sanders over his lack of sufficient support for Israel

On October 12, 2023, Saskia Esken, leader of Germany’s Social Democrats, canceled her participation in Bernie Sanders' book launch reception. The event took place at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, in cooperation with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung and the American Academy in Berlin, and presented the German translation of Sanders' book, It’s Okay to Be Angry About Capitalism.

Esken shared on Bluesky on October 12, 2023, that a government statement regarding "Hamas Terror in Israel" was set to be released that day and that she intended to "meet and speak with Bernie Sanders about capitalism" the same evening. Eliyah Havemann, a German author who converted to Judaism and emigrated to Israel, replied to the post that reading Sanders' name in the context of Palestine/Israel made him gag. In response, Esken wrote that she agreed with Havemann and that she planned to cancel her meeting with Sanders due to his "previous relativizations" and failure to "clearly stand on the side of Israel and against the terror of Hamas and others." In a separate post on Bluesky, Havemann, identifying himself as "Jewish and a descendant of Holocaust victims," welcomed Esken's decision. Contrary to what Esken’s initial post implied, Sanders clarified later that there was no personal meeting planned between them. Esken, like many members of other parties, had been invited to the post-launch reception.

In the statement published by Sanders on October 11, 2023, Sanders acknowledged the Hamas attack as a "horrific" assault of "terrorism." At the same time, he emphasized the long-term effect the attack will have, representing "a major setback for any hope of peace and reconciliation in the region – and justice for the Palestinian people." Sanders recognized "the horrendous living conditions faced by so many Palestinians," especially in Gaza, and expressed concern with how "Hamas’ terrorism will make it much more difficult to address that tragic reality and will embolden extremists on both sides, continuing the cycle of violence." While characterizing the United States’ “solidarity and support to Israel in responding to Hamas’ attack” as correct, he also called on the international community to "focus on reducing humanitarian suffering and protecting innocent people on both sides of this conflict."

In an article published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on October 16, 2023, Havemann responded to Sanders' statement. He accused Sanders of "[legitimizing] Hamas as resistance fighters and [placing] the responsibility for peace solely in Israel's hand." The article concluded with Havemann expressing gratitude to Esken for her political stance and extending an offer to meet and raise a glass to her when he comes to Berlin next time.

Bernie Sanders, an 84-year-old senator from the US state of Vermont, is a prominent Jewish-American politician whose parents were Holocaust survivors. While he has been outspoken about Palestinian rights and critical of Israel, he has rejected the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a stance that has put him at odds with many of his supporters.