Olympics attack victims' families close to deal with Germany
The families of 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian attackers at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the German government are close to reaching a deal over the long-disputed amount of the compensation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The families of 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian attackers at the 1972 Munich Olympics are close to reaching a deal with the German government over a long-disputed compensation claim, German and Israeli media reported Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the families had threatened to boycott Monday's 50-year anniversary ceremony in Munich organized by German authorities because they said the amount they had been offered was too low.
Several media reported Wednesday that Germany increased its offer to the families to around 28 million euros (dollars), but that a final deal, while close, had not yet been signed.
German media have reported that during negotiations over the last few weeks, the German government initially offered 10 million euros to the families, which would include the payments already made. The government has not publicly revealed how much money it has offered.
The negotiations over the amount of the compensation underscores a lingering point of friction between the two countries that have built strong ties despite the enduring legacy of the Nazi Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered during World War II.
Members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killed two athletes from Israel’s national team and took nine more hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. The attackers hoped to force the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as well as two left-wing extremists in West German jails.
All nine hostages and a West German police officer died during a rescue attempt by German forces. Relatives of the athletes accuse Germany of failing to secure the Olympic Village, refusing Israeli help and then botching the rescue operation.
Immediately after the attack, Germany made payments to relatives of the victims amounting to about 4.19 million marks (about 2 million euros or dollars), according to the the country's interior ministry. In 2002, the surviving relatives received an additional 3 million euros, Germany’s dpa news agency reported.