German activists declare support for German poet Grass

A group of German peace activists have voiced their support for Nobel laureate Gunter Grass who has been declared a persona non grata by Israel for describing Tel Aviv’s regime a great danger to world peace. "It is unacceptable," Willi van Ooyen, a spokesman for a peace group that organizes yearly peace marches on Easter weekend in Germany, was quoted by AFP as saying on Monday. "Threats and preparations for war [by Israel and the US] poison the political climate," he added. In a poem titled, "What Must Be Said," published in Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on April 4, Grass expressed concerns over a possible Israeli military strike against Iran. On Sunday, Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai barred Grass from entering the entity and accused him of fuelling the fire of hate against Tel Aviv. Grass later defended his remarks, adding a Tel Aviv military strike on Iran could spark World War III. “If Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites, presumably with conventional bombs and warheads, that could trigger a third world war,” he said . The 84-year old writer also noted that calling Israel a "nuclear power" was a taboo in Germany but he no longer wished to join in "the general silence." Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and it has never allowed inspections of its nuclear facilities nor has it joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) based on its policy of nuclear ambiguity. According to a survey conducted in 2011 by the Berlin-based Friedrich Ebert Foundation, more than 50 percent of the European people believe Israel is the most serious threat to global security.