After decades of confidential negotiations, the German government on Wednesday announced a deal on reparations just before ceremonies that victims’ families had threatened to boycott.
German head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier said today it was a “shame” that Germany had taken 50 years to reach an agreement to compensate the relatives of Israeli victims of the bloody hostage-taking at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“The fact that it took 50 years to reach this reconciliation in the last few days is a real shame,” Steinmeier admitted before Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who he received during an official visit on the occasion of events marking the 50th anniversary of this tragedy that will take place tomorrow Monday.
After decades of confidential negotiations, the German government on Wednesday announced a deal on reparations just before ceremonies that victims’ families had threatened to boycott.
The latter considered until then that the amounts proposed by Berlin were too small.
The German head of state and his Israeli counterpart will be present at tomorrow’s commemorations in Berlin.
Steinmeier said today that he expects “certain errors of judgment, certain misbehavior, certain mistakes that were made” to be recognized by his country’s authorities surrounding this tragedy. Among them “repulsion and oblivion” during the 50 years that followed the hostage-taking, he added.
For his part, the Israeli president underlined the pain of the relatives who, he said, “hit a wall” every time they tried to secure answers from Germany or the International Olympic Committee.
On September 5, 1972, eight members of the Palestinian organization “Black September” infiltrated the apartment of the Israeli delegation in the Olympic Village, killed two Israeli athletes and held another 9 hostage in the hope of exchanging them for 232 Palestinian prisoners.
The intervention of the West German security forces resulted in the death of all the hostages, for which the authorities of the country were held responsible. Five of the Palestinian attackers were killed and the other three captured.
The government of Olaf Solz has agreed to release an amount of 28 million euros, to be paid in part by Bavaria and the city of Munich.
Documents will also be declassified so that German and Israeli historians can work on the matter.
Herzog expressed hope that the agreement would lead “this painful episode to a place of healing.”
“I hope that from today we will continue to remember, invoke and especially reaffirm the lessons from this tragedy, especially the importance of the fight against terror, for future generations,” said the Israeli president.
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