Berlin Election Campaign: CDU Spot Disappears Amid Gaza Debate

In the run-up to the Berlin state election on September 20, a CDU campaign video was suddenly removed from the internet, sparking speculation about its connection to the Gaza conflict. The ongoing genocide in Gaza has significantly altered the right to protest in the city, yet the issue remains marginal in the election campaign. Since October 7, 2023, images of Israeli war crimes have flooded the German public sphere. Palestinian journalists in Gaza have become targets themselves, yet they continue to provide footage of Israeli attacks on hospitals and schools, children pulled from rubble, and families starving. Israeli soldiers have filmed themselves destroying universities and rummaging through the underwear of displaced people. The Israeli government does not hide this violence; it is exercised with the self-assurance of a state that has long understood that impunity is a form of power. In Germany, this unprecedented visibility oddly coincides with a lack of political debate, except for the brief controversy over the CDU spot.