Comparisons with the Nazi war of extermination and biblical revenge motifs had been a staple of the GDR propaganda repertoire ever since the Six-Day War. In a montage of filmed press articles, DIE STÜRMER polemicises against Israel and the Federal Republic alike. Analogies are drawn between the situation in the Middle East and that of the two German states, the Israelis are made heirs to the Wehrmacht and an ominous scenario is created inclusive of visions of the Arab states and the GDR as the victims of an imperialist global strategy.
Double Feature DIE STÜRMER & ISRAEL 74
After a brief phase of sympathy for the young Jewish state, Israel was increasingly demonised by the GDR government and media – all in accordance with the logic of the Cold War and heavily influenced by the conflict between East and West Germany and an anti-Zionist paradigm. The effect was occasionally disastrous. Anti-Semitic imagery and narratives were reproduced, atrocity propaganda was spread and, ultimately, Israel's right to exist appeared to be in question.
Text: Lisa Schoß
English: Peter Rickerby