Kerstin Wolter-Ehling, state chair of the Left party speaks to the media, on the day of exploratory talks between the Left Party, the Social Democratic party (SPD) and the Greens on a possible coalition government for Berlin’s House of Representatives, in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 8, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

The far-left Die Linke party’s path to power in Berlin is facing growing uncertainty as a bitter internal dispute over antisemitism exposes deep divisions among its leaders just as the party stands on the brink of entering government for the first time.

On Tuesday, Germany’s Greens and center-left Social Democrats (SPD) suspended exploratory talks on forming Berlin‘s next state government with Die Linke (Left Party) to assess whether measures from a deal agreed to last week to combat antisemitism still stand.

Under the proposed agreement, all three parties would deliberate on antisemitic incidents and expel the accused lawmaker if they reach a consensus. In the event of a disagreement, experts would review the case.

The parties also agreed to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has been widely adopted around the world but rejected by some Left Party members who argue that it can conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

However, the SPD and Greens called off coalition talks when the Left Party admitted lawmaker Vanessa Emde, who has refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, to the state of Berlin‘s new parliamentary group.

“We expect the Left to clarify the extent to which they intend to take the agreements we made seriously and implement them,” the two parties said in a joint statement.

Left leader Luigi Pantisano said he was confident that talks could continue, noting that all elected representatives had signed a declaration on Tuesday committing themselves to fighting antisemitism.

The decision to suspend talks also came after Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society (DIG), accused Tobias Schulze, co-leader of the Left’s parliamentary group in Berlin’s House of Representatives, of undermining the preliminary exploratory agreement with the SPD and Greens just hours after it was published, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported.

“One thing is clear: The three Berlin parties have failed to reach a common understanding of what constitutes antisemitism. After three days of negotiations, leaving such a fundamental question unresolved is a complete failure,” Beck said in a statement.

The Left Party recorded its strongest-ever result in a Berlin state election last month, finishing first with 25.7 percent of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election.

With the election results opening the door to coalition talks, the party is now seeking to form a government with the SPD and Greens, a three-way alliance that would have enough seats to govern Berlin. If the coalition is formed, the Left would lead the German capital for the first time.

After several rounds of negotiations, the three parties reached an agreement last week on a document outlining how antisemitism should be addressed within the Left’s own ranks, amid mounting accusations that the party has repeatedly promoted antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and policies.

Under the agreed framework, the Left Party commits to explicitly recognizing antisemitism related to Israel, affirming Israel’s right to exist, rejecting calls to boycott the Jewish state, and establishing a mechanism to address antisemitic incidents within any of the three parliamentary groups.

However, just hours after the agreement was announced, senior Left figures, including Schulze, appeared to retreat from key provisions, withdrawing support for one of its central points: adopting the IHRA working definition of antisemitism — which includes Holocaust denial and modern forms targeting Israel, such as demonizing the Jewish state and denying its right to exist.

According to Tagesspiegel, Schulze wrote in an internal chat that the SPD and Greens had sought to “bind” the entire coalition, including its parliamentary groups, to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, exposing a deepening dispute over how the parties should address the issue.

He had also reportedly announced plans to make the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), an alternative set of guidelines distinguishing antisemitism from “legitimate” criticism of Israel and Zionism, a basis for the state administration during exploratory and coalition negotiations.

Under the JDA definition, anti-Zionism and boycotts of Israel — including those promoted by boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish state — are not automatically classified as antisemitic.

Prominent political figures and Jewish leaders had previously called on the country’s center-left parties to reject any coalition that would bring the party into power, warning that the dramatic political shift could put Jewish life across the country at greater risk.

Now, the German-Israeli Society (DIG) is seeking to declare membership in the Left Party incompatible with its own principles, with a corresponding motion submitted to the organization’s Federal Assembly, which is scheduled to meet in mid-November.

Under the proposal, new membership applications from Left Party members would be rejected and existing memberships reviewed, arguing that the party and its leaders repeatedly promote narratives that “delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state” and that “Israel-related antisemitism is not only tolerated but has an institutional platform.”