The scandal over antisemitic tweets by Germany’s Die Linke party is not an isolated incident but part of a broader and troubling trend: the penetration of anti-Israel ideology into European public discourse, which, at times, slips into crude antisemitism.
The latest case reveals how ancient hatred takes on new faces under the modern guise of “human rights” and “democracy,” illustrating the challenge facing Jews and Israel today.
In July, about 52 Jewish students from France were removed from a Vueling flight in Valencia, Spain. According to initial reports, the decision came after the teenagers sang songs in Hebrew, and the pilot refused to fly with them. The incident drew widespread international media coverage and was interpreted as severe antisemitic discrimination, further evidence that even in Europe in 2025, Jews are subjected to humiliation and discriminatory treatment because of their identity.
Later, the airline and Spanish authorities claimed the group was removed for “disrespectful behavior” and violations of safety rules. Yet, the very fact that French authorities opened an investigation into suspected religious discrimination highlights the depth of the crisis and the real concern that this was a case of institutional bias.
The true uproar began when a Twitter account affiliated with Die Linke shared a report about the incident from the German-Jewish newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine, adding a chilling comment:
“We must disappoint you: The children weren’t thrown out while the plane was in the air.”
The remark was horrifying, evoking direct associations with the Holocaust and modern acts of terror. The tweet remained online for nearly three weeks before being deleted under public pressure. Yet the damage had already been done: Germany’s Jewish community – and European Jews at large – saw it as proof of the moral collapse of a party that presents itself as a pioneer of the “struggle for social justice.”
Continued antisemitic rhetoric
It didn’t end there. Shortly afterward, the same account published another tweet, no less grave, expressing support for an initiative calling for the complete abolition of the State of Israel, language that implied the ethnic cleansing of Jews. That tweet was also deleted, but the very fact that both messages were published in the first place leaves no doubt that the line separating anti-Zionism from antisemitism has been entirely erased.
At the same time, Israel hosts an official branch of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, directly linked to Die Linke. The foundation, located on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv and in Ramallah, is funded by German taxpayers. According to the NGO Monitor watchdog, it funnels millions of shekels to Israeli and Palestinian organizations.
Among the recipients in recent years are political and social protest movements, such as the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, the Social-Economic Academy, Combatants for Peace, Kerem Navot, and the Adva Center, as well as cultural groups like the Khashabi Ensemble and the Tishreen Association.
On the surface, these are legitimate groups working in the fields of society, culture, and education. In practice, some are involved in producing international reports accusing Israel of war crimes, cooperating with explicitly anti-Israel organizations, and, at times, advancing narratives aligned with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to impose a boycott on Israel.
CAN ONE truly distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies and antisemitism in disguise? Supporters of the foundation argue that it promotes democracy, free expression, and pluralism in Israel. Yet, when its parent party in Germany posts tweets that shock Jewish and international public opinion, it is difficult to separate ideological funding from its outcomes.
The language used – hints at murdering Jewish children and support for erasing the Jewish state – goes far beyond legitimate political criticism. It is antisemitism in every sense.
In Germany, Jewish community leaders issued harsh condemnations, demanding an investigation into how a taxpayer-funded foundation could be linked to a party that permits the dissemination of antisemitic messages. In Israel, members of Knesset and activists called for the immediate suspension of the foundation’s activities, arguing it serves as a channel for spreading hostile ideologies.
Meanwhile, segments of Israel’s political Left continued to view the foundation as a legitimate partner in democratic dialogue. They claimed that its local work is separate from antisemitic rhetoric in Europe. However, the direct link between the party in Berlin and the budgets in Tel Aviv casts a heavy shadow over that claim.
Beyond the immediate public outrage lies a long-term danger: the normalization of antisemitism under the cover of political critique. When phrases such as “abolishing the Jewish state” or “throwing Jewish children off a plane” are voiced by a Western political party, they gradually seep into public discourse and may ultimately become official positions in the international arena. What begins as a provocative tweet could evolve into European policies or government resolutions.
The Die Linke and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation affair is a glaring warning sign. It demonstrates how antisemitism is no longer the exclusive domain of the far Right but also of the radical, global Left. It exposes how ancient hatred infiltrates modern channels – through culture, civil society, and international funding.
For Israel, the issue is not merely one of free expression or pluralism. It is a matter of moral sovereignty: Can a Jewish state allow funding from entities whose home countries host calls for the murder of Jews and the elimination of its existence?
The fight against antisemitism, it turns out, neither begins nor ends within Germany’s borders. It also takes place here, in the heart of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, through foundations and NGOs that present themselves as “peace-seeking” but in practice advance a dangerous agenda. This is a reality that must not be ignored and one that demands firm action.
The writer is CEO of Radios 100FM, an honorary consul, deputy dean of the Consular Diplomatic Corps, president of the Israel Radio Communications Association, and formerly a television correspondent for NBC.