Germany intends to significantly increase its compensation offer for the families of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, senior Israeli officials told Ynet on Monday.
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The 11 Israeli athletes massacred by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich
(Photo: Getty Images)
The families subsequently decided to boycott a state ceremony in Munich marking the 50th anniversary of the attack in protest.
According to one of the officials, the Germans are investing great efforts to reach an agreement by the time of the ceremony, which will take place on September 5, to allow the families to participate alongside President Isaac Herzog.
Earlier this month, a senior Israeli official told Ynet that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was considering a trip to Israel in order to meet with the families of Israeli athletes and persuade them to lift the boycott on the memorial event.
In the early hours of On Sept. 5, 1972, Israeli Olympic team members were taken hostage at the poorly secured athletes' village by Palestinian gunmen from the Black September group.
Within 24 hours, 11 Israelis, five Palestinian kidnappers, and a German policeman were dead after a standoff and subsequent rescue effort erupted into gunfire.
The seizure of the hostages, and their subsequent deaths sent shock waves through the world, and caused outrage in Israel. In a decision that was widely criticized, at the time and later, the games were allowed to continue after a brief 34-hour pause.