Germany appoints commission to re-appraise 1972 Munich Olympics attack

Germany appoints commission to re-appraise 1972 Munich Olympics attack
Wreath are placed during a ceremony, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Munich Olympics in which eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died takes place near the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, Sept 5, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters file

BERLIN — Germany has appointed an eight-person commission to re-appraise the attack on Israeli athletes and team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics to answer unresolved questions, said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a statement on Friday (April 21).

"For too many years, there was a lack of understanding or reappraisal of the events, transparency about them or acceptance of responsibility for them," she said.

The project is part of a larger government approach to seek reconciliation with the families affected, including a compensation offer of 28 million euros (S$40.96 million).

Palestinians from the Black September militant group took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage on Sept 5, 1972.

Eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died after a stand-off at the Olympic village and the nearby Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield.

The Games continued in 1972 after the attacks and the IOC took almost half a century to comply with families' requests for an official act of remembrance at an Olympic event.

ALSO READ: 50 years on, Germany asks for forgiveness over 1972 Munich Games attacks

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