In the organizer's words:

War is a place of violence - and of contested narratives. Journalistic work in armed conflicts is under particular pressure: access is limited, sources are at risk, interpretations are politically instrumentalized. At the same time, reports can have legal, diplomatic and social consequences. This discussion evening is dedicated to the question of what responsibility journalism bears in war - towards those affected, towards international law and towards a public in which anti-Semitic interpretations represent a real danger.

How do you talk about a conflict that tears everything apart - debates, friendships, certainties? About which many say: You can't talk about it. We are trying to make a start. This discussion evening asks about journalistic work in war, about a specific German responsibility and our standards of evaluation in the face of massive attacks on international law worldwide. No simple solutions will be offered on this evening. Instead, we will talk - tentatively, contradictorily, with each other.

The starting point is an internationally acclaimed investigation by Paper Trail Media about an Israeli soldier from Munich who is accused of shooting civilians in the Gaza Strip. The investigation raises questions of international law, which are now also the subject of legal scrutiny. An alleged breach of the law is at issue - which must be investigated from a journalistic and international law perspective. At the same time, the question arises as to how such accusations can be examined, classified and communicated journalistically without generalizing, demonizing or serving Israel-related resentments.

How can ambiguities be endured when there are no simple answers?

The discussion brings together journalistic and international law perspectives: International law experts Prof. Dr. Christoph Safferling and Dr. Alexander Schwarz will be joined in the discussion by reporter Hanna Resch and investigative journalist Maria Retter.

The evening is an invitation to make complexity visible and to enter into a responsible discussion - about war, law and the conditions of public truth.