Munich athlete families finally accept compensation

The families of eleven Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics have agreed a compensation deal with the German government after decades of negotiations, it was announced yesterday. The agreement comes before the 50th anniversary of the incident.

“The German government welcomes the fact that it has now been possible to reach an agreement with the relatives on an overall concept to mark the 50th anniversary,” said a spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “This includes the reappraisal of the events by a commission of German and Israeli historians, the release of files in accordance with the law, and the classification and acceptance of political responsibility within the framework of the commemoration ceremony.”

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Steffen Hebestreit added that it also included “the provision of further recognition services by the federal government, by the state of Bavaria and by the city of Munich.”

According to the local media, Germany increased its offer to the families to around €28 million ($28m), up from the initial €10m offered. This includes the payments already made by the German government.

“We are pleased and relieved that an agreement on historical clarification, recognition and compensation has been reached shortly before the 50th anniversary,” said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in a joint statement.

The Israelis were killed by members of the Palestinian Black September group, who planned to hold the athletes hostages to force the release of Palestinian prisoners held in the occupation state’s jails.