Schulz faux pas: The liquid aftermath in the German press
Schulz defended his statements, with Der Spiegel noting surprising, clear-cut language from the envoy, who did not see any reason to apologize to “Israeli hard-liners.”
By ANDREAS BERGGRENParliamentary leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) Thomas Oppermann (L) chats with party fellow Martin Schulz before a party board meeting in Berlin February 17, 2014.(photo credit: REUTERS)
When European Parliament President Martin Schulz stated erroneous statistics on water allocation in the Knesset last Tuesday – claiming Palestinians are given 17 liters of water per day compared to 70 for Israelis – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other MKs did not mince words while pointing out his misstep. “[Schulz] suffers from the same selective listening as many Europeans,” Netanyahu said in response. While the EP president’s figures were wrong, the general statement – the inequality of water distribution – was correct. Therefore, German media last week entered a numbers and analysis competition, with the daily papers of Die Zeit, Die Welt and Der Spiegel fighting for who could produce the most enlightening statistics.On Wednesday, Schulz defended his statements, with Der Spiegel noting surprising, clear-cut language from the envoy, who did not see any reason to apologize to “Israeli hard-liners.”“At the Knesset I was required to explain the stance of the European Parliament. Obviously I can’t just say things that please everybody, I’m also obliged to express contested matters,” he said to Die Welt on Wednesday. In Der Spiegel, he added: “The Israeli settlements are illegal according to the Geneva Conventions, but also very real,” and emphasized the necessity of practical solutions.This straight talk resonated with Die Zeit columnist Gisela Dachs, who argued from Jerusalem that this latest commotion is a sign of rising tension between Israel and the EU, writing that there is a real fear in Israel that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement could gain more momentum if the peace talks, led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, fail.The water controversy continued into the headlines on Thursday of last week, with Der Spiegel leading their paper with “Where Schulz is right,” arguing that despite the factual error, his overall remark was correct.The paper acknowledges the controversy as to the numbers and presents a walkthrough for its readers.The factual voyage points out two main currents: Lack of Palestinian infrastructure, and the role of (economically beneficial) Israeli crop cultivation.Die Welt chose the word “negligence” to describe the Schulz statement. Its fact check was distinctly more responsive to Israel, noting that the country is a world leader in water technology. Die Zeit, on the other hand, opted for a literary ruse: the divide in water access and, likewise, a divide between Israeli settlements (where soil literally flourishes) and the dry, arid Palestinian soil (where water heaters on top of Palestine rooftops are nowhere to be seen). The newspaper also points out that these particular figures are highly politically motivated, and lands softly with the same conclusion as Der Spiegel: Israel’s cutting-edge agricultural technology and Palestine’s lack of basic infrastructure are two big reasons for the divide.IN OTHER NEWS FROM EUROPE
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