LINKE pleased with Israeli-Palestinian prisoners exchange
"Regarding the release of the Israeli citizen Gilad Schalit and the release of 477 Palestinian prisoners, we can only be pleased without reservation”, Wolfgang Gehrcke, member of the executive committee of the party DIE LINKE, declares.
DIE LINKE has called for the release of Gilad Schalit right from the beginning and has drawn attention to the fate of Palestinian prisoners. Hostage-takings of any kind are to be condemned. There is little indication that the release of prisoners will lead to a renewal of the peace talks. The decision to continue with the construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem taken by the Israeli government inhibits the return to the negotiating table.
There is but one lesson to learn from the exchange of prisoners: Negotiations are worthwhile – for both sides involved. Israel would be well-advised to make its bargaining position public. The Palestinian positions were announced publicly when Palestine filed the application for full membership in the UNO.
The German federal government cannot indefinitely avoid the decision, whether its speeches about an aspired two states solution will be followed by concrete actions supporting two states. The Palestinians are correct to expect this decision which would be good for the security of Israel security and German’s foreign policy.
The party executive committee of the LINKE has once again laid out its basic position regarding the Middle East conflict in the draft of the party program: security for Israel, justice for Palestine. "Germany has a special responsibility because of the unprecedented crimes perpetrated by Germans against Jews during the time of German fascism and has to oppose every form of anti-Semitism, racism, oppression, and war. Especially this obligation compels us as well to stand up for Israel’s right to exist. At the same time we stand for a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict within the framework of a two states solution. We also stand for the recognition of an independent and viable Palestinian state under international law on the basis of the United Nations resolutions.