The news from Tel Aviv caused dismay and horror in Berlin and Munich: The surviving relatives of the victims of the 1972 Olympic attack did not want to come to the central commemoration ceremony on September 5 in Fürstenfeldbruck – out of anger at the German side’s refusal to pay their high demands for compensation correspond to. But the negotiators of the Federal Republic, the Free State of Bavaria and the state capital Munich do not yet consider the rejection to be final. Some of those involved interpret the relatives’ step simply as an attempt to increase the pressure.
Now, according to SZ information, the idea of a foundation should prevent the negotiations from failing. There is “the willingness of a private initiative involving German companies to also contribute financially,” wrote three state secretaries under the letterhead “The Federal Government” in a letter to the Dutch lawyers of the relatives on Thursday evening. “As we have heard, there is interest in setting up a foundation with the working title ‘Remembrance and Future’ in order to keep alive the memory of each individual victim and to carry their legacy into the future.” The letter was signed by Interior Secretary Juliane Seifert, Justice Secretary Angelika Schlunck and Foreign Secretary Susanne Baumann. The letter does not reveal whether such a foundation could also make direct payments to the families. In Berlin government circles, this possibility was not ruled out on Friday.
In their letter, the three state secretaries also state that the German side does not intend to increase the promised formal compensation payment of 5.4 million euros. The bereaved had rejected this offer as a “tip”. The letter from Seifert, Schlunck and Baumann was coordinated with the Chancellery as well as with the state and city. So you could read it like a last word. But on Friday it was heard in Berlin government circles that there might still be some leeway.
Officially, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit once again emphasized the “importance of German-Israeli relations and the deep injuries sustained by the relatives to this day.” He regretted that, on the basis of previous offers, it had not been possible to reach a consensus with all of the bereaved, but expressly stated that the Federal Government was willing to hold further talks.
Higher compensation to prevent damage to relations with Israel?
Hebestreit left unanswered the question of whether the federal government was prepared to increase the amount for the compensation payments again. However, he expressed the Federal Government’s hope that “a way will be found so that the bereaved can still decide to take part in the commemorative event. The payments made so far – a total of 4.6 million euros in 1972 and 2002 – and The compensation granted in other cases will also be taken into account, but the federal government wants “constructive negotiations” with the relatives.
However, this could probably only be achieved if Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the ministers involved reach a political decision to approve a recognition service that goes well beyond the usual framework. This could be done, for example, on the grounds of averting serious damage to relations with Israel, to which the German government attaches great importance. It is unclear how high such a benefit would have to be in order to satisfy the bereaved. A working paper from the relatives, which is available to the SZ, shows that the amount could be lower than previously assumed.
Ankie Spitzer, widow of fencing coach Andrei Spitzer and spokesperson for the victims’ families, insists on compensation based on “international standards”. Her lawyers used the payments for the victims of the bombings on the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie and on the Berlin discotheque La Belle as points of reference. In the federal government, the comparison was considered completely inappropriate. If only because in both cases the Libyan state was the perpetrator.
So far, it was assumed that these “international standards” would mean around ten million euros per victim. The working paper, which was written before the commemoration was canceled, says: “International practice shows that compensation for victims of international terrorism ranges between three and 22.5 million euros per victim.” In Berlin and Munich there are voices that would at least not categorically rule out that the lower edge of this framework would be conceivable for the Germans.
The question, however, is whether Spitzer and the bereaved are at all open to further talks. They justified their rejection in a letter to the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, some of which was sharply worded. “Fifty years of abuse, lies, humiliation and rejection by the German government and especially by the Bavarian authorities are really more than enough for us,” says the letter signed by Spitzer and Ilana Romano, which is available to the SZ. had previously picture and mirror reported about it.
At two personal meetings, Spitzer and Romano also described their bad experiences with German authorities and government agencies to the new German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert. Seibert was pretty shocked afterwards. In the letter to Söder, Spitzer and Romano call the current offer of compensation “an insult”; Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also described it as a “joke”. In Berlin and Munich, there are fears that Herzog could also cancel his participation in the commemoration.
The Bavarian Anti-Semitism Commissioner Ludwig Spaenle (CSU) showed understanding for the rejection of the relatives. “The Berlin scrutiny of the survivors and victims’ families damages the republic,” said Spaenle. “The warning sign was deliberately ignored.” There were also individual voices from the Berlin traffic light coalition that the government had underestimated the importance of the compensation issue for the victims’ families.
Ulrike Nasse-Meyfarth, one of the most well-known athletes at the Munich Games, commented on the current debate on Friday. “Whether you have to make a maximum financial claim for the anniversary year is an open question. But if the survivors did not take part in the commemoration, I would think it would be a shame,” said the 1972 Olympic high jump champion of the SZ. “I can understand your frustration that even after fifty years you can’t see all the files in full. That doesn’t speak for Germany.” Of course, at that time “the terrorists fired,” said Nasse-Meyfarth, but the Germans “failed to take security precautions and the actual anti-terrorist operation.”