The German government on Wednesday signed an agreement on compensation for the families of the victims of the 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympic games.
The agreement was reached after an earlier offer of compensation was rejected earlier this month with the families claiming the sum was insufficient and threatening to boycott a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the attack,in protest.
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The 11 Israeli athletes massacred by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich
(Photo: Getty Images)
The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, citing Germanys news agency DPA, said compensation of 28 million euros ($28.02 million) had been discussed, of which the federal government would cover 22.5 million euros.
The German government did not confirm the amounts, saying the talks with the victims' representatives were confidential.
"With this agreement, the German state acknowledges its responsibility and recognizes the terrible suffering of the murdered (athletes) and their families," President Issac Herzog and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a joint statement.
"I thank my friend for his leadership and uncompromising commitment to a process of justice, humanity and responsibility," Herzog said.
"This is not the first time that President Steinmeier has proven that he is a close friend of Israel and that his work has made a great contribution to the warm relationship between Israel and Germany," he said.
Steinmeier said his thoughts were with the bereaved familes. "I am grateful and relieved that we have reached a solution that will open the door to a joint memorial ceremony to honor the fallen," he said.
The improved offer, which came after long wrangling, is more than five times higher than the initial offer tabled by the Germans last month and is significantly closer to the demand of the families that asked for 33 million euros according to a precedent set for compensation for an international terrorist attack which stood at 3 million euros per victim.
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House where eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were kidnapped and then killed by the radical Palestinian group Black September
(Photo: Reuters)
Eyal Shapira, son of Amitzur Shapira who was opposed to the position expressed by most of the families, said they were putting financial matters ahead of the memory of the dead.
"What have the antisemites always accused the Jews of? Greed for money," Shapira said. "The fight for proper compensation is just, but has nothing to do with the ceremonies organized by the Germans. On the contrary, we must be present at those ceremonies to express our displeasure with the main issue — the German's attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility for the massacre," he said.