Discussions about Israeli actions are particularly sensitive in Germany, which has become one of Israel\u2019s staunchest supporters, principally because of historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust \u2014 a policy known as the \u201cStaatsraison.\u201d The German government has said Israel has a right to self-defense after the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacres led by Hamas that triggered a war in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people told me, maybe you have to be careful before you say what I want to say now, because you are a refugee in Germany, and there are so many red lines. But I don\u2019t care. I care about my people, about Palestine,\u201d said Al-Khatib, standing on stage with a keffiyeh scarf draped on his shoulder and raising a Palestinian flag at the end of his speech late on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I will say my final word to the German government. You are partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel. I believe you are intelligent enough to recognize this truth, but you choose to not care.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, who was in the audience, walked out following the remarks. \u201cThe federal minister considers these statements unacceptable and therefore left the event during the speech,\u201d a spokesperson said on Sunday.<\/p>\n \t Some human rights experts and scholars, as well as a UN-commissioned inquiry, say Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide, saying it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stressing that Hamas uses Gaza\u2019s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.<\/p>\n Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor praised Schneider\u2019s reaction to the speech. \u201cRespect for Minister Schneider and his moral clarity,\u201d he told Germany\u2019s Bild newspaper.<\/p>\n Politically charged Berlinale<\/p>\n Berlin\u2019s film festival, known by its nickname the \u201cBerlinale,\u201d has a reputation for being more politicized than its peers in Venice and in Cannes \u2014 and this year\u2019s edition was marked by frequent discussions about the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n German director Wim Wenders used his final appearance as jury president to urge filmmakers and activists to act as allies, not as rivals, after his comment that filmmakers should not be political caused Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to pull out.<\/p>\n Several other award winners used their speeches to express solidarity<\/a> with the Palestinians.<\/p>\n \u201cThe least we can do here is to break the silence and remind them that they are not really alone,\u201d said Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper, referring to Palestinians living in Gaza and other peoples around the world.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tGermany\u2019s Environment Minister Carsten Schneider speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU environment ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, November 4, 2025. (Virginia Mayo\/ AP)<\/p>\n
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