From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Families of Israeli athletes killed in attack at Munich games threaten to boycott memorial over compensation dispute
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The families of the Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics say they will boycott a memorial ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the attack due to a dispute with the German government over compensation, The New York Times reports.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place in Munich on September, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog scheduled to attend.
The 11 families believe that the German government owes them more money, while the NYT reveals that Berlin has already forked over $4.8 million.
Germany has offered an additional $5.58 million to 23 remaining family members, according to an internal memo obtained by The Times, but lawyers for the bereaved families are seeking 20 times that amount.
“We expect President Herzog to also announce, immediately, that he is not coming,” Ankie Spitzer tells NYT. Her late husband Andrei Spitzer was the coach of the Israeli fencing team and was among the 11 athletes killed at the Munich games. “If the families don’t travel, he shouldn’t travel either because if he is there, even to lay a wreath, it will legitimize this cruel German behavior.”
The Times of Israel Community.