The far-left German politician admits: 'I'm afraid of pro-Palestinians linked to Hamas'

Elif Eralp, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives with the far-left party "Die Linke," admits that she is very afraid of pro-Palestinian extremists with ties to Hamas. Eralp’s admission was revealed in an internal document that was accidentally sent to journalists at the German newspaper "Der Spiegel," with whom she had conducted an interview.

During the interview, Eralp was asked about antisemitic statements within her party and the connection of some of its members to extremist pro-Palestinian activists. Eralp said she was not aware of the extent of the problem, but she does know that some party members are acting on behalf of Palestinians.

The journalists asked her if she was referring to the extremist pro-Palestinian activist Ibrahim Ibrahim, and she answered yes.

After the interview took place, the transcript was sent to her for approval, but it was mistakenly returned to the newspaper with internal comments and her correspondence with her spokesperson and the party chair, Kerstin Walter. In the document that was sent, she explained that she is afraid for herself and her family, and said that she cannot even mention their names in public, even though some members of her party cooperate with them.

In the comments document, the question about Ibrahim and her answer were deleted.

In a document her office accidentally sent to Der Spiegel along with the responses, Eralp wrote: "...Both my husband and I do not want to mention specific names. He is afraid of these people, and so am I." She later wrote: "I cannot risk myself and my family for Der Spiegel. What do we do now? Cancel the entire interview?"

Eralp added in the comments that she had previously received a recommendation from the Berlin detective agency not to mention the names of certain individuals out of concern for her personal safety. The document states: “The recommendation then was to never mention specific names. Back then it was about organized crime, now it concerns people with connections to Hamas.”

The article in "Der Spiegel" was published with the internal comments that were sent by mistake.

Elif Eralp, the daughter of immigrants of Turkish descent, led the "Die Linke" party last month to victory in the local parliament elections of the state of Berlin. Eralp sharply criticized Israel's policies, accused it of committing war crimes, and consistently expressed opposition to security deals with it. Her public statements are causing deep concern among residents who fear a deterioration in the local government's attitude toward Israel and the Jewish community in Berlin and Germany.