Through a decision described as arbitrary and politicized, the German network Deutsche Welle (DW) decided on February 7, 2022, to expel five Arab employees following a report issued by an independent expert committee tasked with investigating accusations of anti-Semitism within the network two months ago.

The dismissal decision affected the head of the Arabic branch of DW in Beirut, Bassel Al-Aridi, the expert in the field of press media management, Daoud Ibrahim, Palestinian-Jordanian journalist Farah Maraqa, Palestinian journalist Maram Salem, and editor Murhaf Mahmoud.

While most of the aforementioned positions expressed their support for the Palestinian cause or their hostility to Zionism, but the media network used the peg of anti-Semitism to undermine their freedom to express their political opinions.

In objection to DW's decision to expel five Arab journalists due to criticisms of Israel they wrote on their social media accounts, some of which date back years, Palestinian journalist Dr. Naser Shrouf has resigned from his position as Head of Distribution Africa and Middle East at DW.

Anger and disapproval faced the German media network, activists launched several hashtags to boycott DW, in protest of its recent decisions under the pretext of anti-Semitism and rejection of Israel's right to exist.

 

Systematic Bias

At a conference held by DW director Peter Limbourg on February 07, he announced the dismissal of four Arab employees and the termination of the contract with another collaborator, while 8 other employees are currently under investigation under the same pretext of expressing anti-Semitic views, this follows from their old publications and articles criticizing the Israeli occupation.

According to a statement issued by DW, which is funded by the German government, the investigation concluded that there is no systematic anti-Semitism within the Arabic branch, but rather that it is limited to limited cases.

The administration also confirmed that it had taken strict measures and developed a plan of action to prevent this from happening in the future, which includes several steps, among them is that it sets a definition of anti-Semitism and makes it binding on its workers, which will include: recognition of Israel's right to exist and a refusal to deny or minimize the Holocaust.

It is noteworthy that the committee of experts that was formed to study the Arabic branch of DW file described by the dismissed employees as being impartial, and which consisted of former German Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, and the Israeli psychiatrist Ahmad Mansour.

DW is under many criticism for its biased reports on the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the occupied territories, and its complete denial of these crimes, which are criticized by journalists, civil society organizations and Israeli parties.

On her part, Palestinian journalist Ms. Maram Salem said in a statement to Al-Estiklal: “I have now been informed of the decision to dismiss me from DW, following the publication of a report by a German journalist accusing me, along with other colleagues, of anti-Semitism and Israel.”

“My old post did not contain any anti-Semitic expression and did not mention Israel. I even talked about the illusion of freedom of expression and opinion in Europe only, and about clients who spy on our opinions,” Ms. Salem added.

“The results of the investigation at DW proved that your identity as a Palestinian is sufficient to be a reason for accusing you of anti-Semitism. Hence, I hold DW responsible for any consequences related to my future career,” she continued.

“I came to Germany in order to preserve my freedom, which has always been my strongest weapon, but it has proven that the media is not really free. DW suppressed my freedom to express my opinion,” she added.

Ms. Maram Salem also explained the reasons behind the transformation of DW into a platform biased in favor of Israel, which can be summed up in the fact that “DW is a reflection of German laws and policies, so any move you take is related to the laws that Germany imposes regarding its relations with Israel, and the terms that may or may not be used.”

“The truth is that Germany in general takes a clearly biased position on the side of Israel, and more than once German political officials have stated this,” she added.

All Western countries are keen not to be anti-Semitic, but Germany is the most sensitive to this issue in atonement for its historical guilt complex from the Holocaust that the Nazi regime committed against the Jews in World War II, according to Ms. Salem.

“The Holocaust puts Germany under the microscope in terms of censorship in this regard, therefore, it is trying, in one way or another, not to put itself in any question about this matter,” she noted.

It is noteworthy that DW is a German media organization founded in 1953, its general budget comes from the taxpayers of the German government, and is intended for people outside Germany, to the extent that the channel does not exist on the cable system inside the country.

 

Zionist Lobby

In December 2021, DW announced that it was freezing the work of five of its Arab journalists and conducting an external and independent investigation with them on charges of writing anti-Semitic allegations on their personal accounts on social media, according to its description.

In addition, the network suspended its cooperation with the Jordanian Roya channel for the same reasons, under pressure from other German media.

This came several days after Vice magazine published in its German version a report that included screenshots of publications previously published by the Jordanian channel, in which the Palestinian territories were described as the occupied territories.

This is not the first time that DW has succumbed to pressure on the issue of its criticism of Israel, according to an internal document leaked in May 2021, during the last Israeli aggression on Gaza, DW's editorial board prevented its reporters and editors from covering the crimes of the occupation represented in apartheid and the persecution of the Palestinians.

The two-page internal document emphasized that “the legacy of the Holocaust and Germany's special responsibility towards Israel remain the cornerstones of the country's constitution and foreign policy.”

In May 2021, the German government also withdrew the membership of the Syrian activist, Mouatasem Alrifai, in the Youth Advisory Council, because of his position in support of the Palestinians and his condemnation of the Israeli aggression against them, following the pressure exerted by the Zionist lobby on that government.

In September 2021, the German channel TV (WDR) canceled its contract with the German journalist of Palestinian origin, Nemi El-Hassan, to present a scientific program, hours after it signed with her; this came after finding a picture of Nemi that was published during her participation in one of the demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause in 2014.

Perhaps the last pressure of the Zionist lobby was to prevent the German branch of Amnesty International from publishing the organization’s report on the apartheid practiced by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians.

However, after a few days, the German branch was able to publish the report on the condition that any activity or press conference related to the report should not be held.

It is reported that in May 2019, the German parliament classified the global boycott of Israel movement as anti-Semitic, this is the result of heavy pressure from the Zionist lobby on the German parliament.

These incidents were not the only ones in Germany, there are dozens of similar incidents faced by journalists, media professionals and organizations in various fields, in order not to direct any criticism of the Israeli practices against the Palestinians.

In turn, Ismail Maslamani, political expert in Israeli affairs said in a statement to Al-Estiklal: “The German policies towards the Arabs support the Zionist racist colonial entity and target the rights of the Palestinian people in Germany itself, and expose once again the deception and lie of the so-called democratic freedoms in the West.”

“What is actually happening is targeting the voice of the Palestinian people in the diaspora, in full coordination between the Zionist entity and Germany,” he stressed.

“We all remember how all German political camps expressed their outrage at the burning of the Israeli flag during mass demonstrations in support of the Palestinians that took place in most German cities on May 15, which also coincided with the anniversary of the Nakba,” Maslamani added.

The Palestinian expert also noted that the relationship between Berlin and Tel Aviv is very unique, saying: “Today, Germany is Israel's most important economic partner in Europe, with a trade volume of $6.9 billion in 2019.”

“Not to mention the military cooperation between the two sides, which reached its peak in 2020, it is also not surprising that Germany is the semi-permanent mediator for the conclusion of Israeli prisoner exchange deals,” Maslamani said.

 

Stormy Reactions

The DW media network, which favors the Israeli occupation and prevents any narrative against it, especially at a time when the Palestinian narrative reached the world and gained widespread and solidarity in the middle of last year, created a stormy reactions from activists, journalists and human rights activists against it.

Activists also stressed on Twitter that this decision is nothing but a flagrant violation of freedoms in Germany, although it reveals the biased nature of the German network, but at the same time, it shows the bitterness of blackmailing people's liberties with their livelihoods.

They pointed out that the German network, which was emerging as a platform for defending liberties and human rights, is only a tool for suppressing democracy and expression, and a means to achieve political agendas and protect the preferred Israeli ally.

On her part, Jordanian journalist Hebatulhayat Obeidat criticized the arbitrary dismissal by DW, saying through her account on Twitter: “The issue is not just Farah and the rest of her colleagues. The issue is that the extreme right and the Zionist lobby are moving in a fierce campaign against Arab journalists and the Arab media who criticize the policies of the Israeli occupation, on charges of anti-Semitism.”

On its part, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described what is happening as a German purge of Arabs, especially as the country is witnessing increasing campaigns, which mixes anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, to criminalize criticism of the Israeli occupation.

The Monitor said in a statement on February 09 that “such biased measures aim to limit the space for Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices in the German media.”

In turn, Skyline International for Human Rights expressed its strong condemnation and surprise at the decision of the German DW, to dismiss journalists from their work for the network, after accusing them of anti-Semitism and Israel.

In its statement on February 09, the organization stressed that this decision shows the network's unjustified violation of journalistic principles, especially freedom of opinion and expression, and proves the unprofessional bias of the news agency of Israel.