Özdemir fiercely criticizes Roth over statements on Israel-Palestine policy and Central Council handling

Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Cem Özdemir (The Greens) has criticized his former co-chair Claudia Roth for her statements regarding her handling of the Israel-Palestine issue. "I find it difficult to say that the Central Council of Jews pressured her," Özdemir said to "taz" on Tuesday.

He himself could only say that he had always worked well with the Central Council of Jews. The statements made by Roth are problematic primarily "because they feed this narrative: There is a lobby that determines German politics," said the Green politician. "We should be very careful with that."

The background is a statement Roth made in the podcast "Jung und Naiv" (Young and Naive). In it, Claudia Roth described last week as a personal mistake, criticizing actors around the film "No Other Land" during her time as Culture Minister. She regrets this today. At the Berlin Film Festival 2024 closing gala, statements by several award winners about the war in Gaza sparked a debate about antisemitism in the cultural industry. Claudia Roth also came under criticism for her behavior at the time.

The media pressure had been "massive," Roth said in the podcast. "It was such incredible pressure from the Central Council, from incredibly many circles." In the further conversation, she had told them: "Some good friends of mine, foreign friends, say: When will you finally be freed from this burden of history? Or when will you deal with it differently?" Roth has since relativized this part of her statement to "Stern." She stated that she "did not adopt these statements of her friends to herself," but merely cited them.

Over the weekend, 50 Green members wrote an open letter to the party leadership, in which they demanded a clear public contradiction from the federal board. The party leadership defended Roth. Party chair Franziiska Brantner described Roth's statement as an unfortunate phrasing. "She should have framed these statements from third parties so that these misunderstandable interpretations would not be possible," said Brantner.