The families of the Israeli athletes murdered during the 1972 Munich Olympics have reached an agreement with the German government regarding compensation for what the families claim was Germany's mishandling of the terror attack and its aftermath, according to media reports on Wednesday.
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As a result, the families have agreed to attend an upcoming event in Germany marking 50 years since the tragedy, after threatening to boycott it over the dispute with Germany over the matter.
German media reported on Tuesday that the figure offered to the families totaled €28 million ($28 million). According to a report by Deutsche Welle, Germany's previous offer to the victims' families was for an additional €5.4 million ($5.39 million) total, on top of the €4.6 million already paid.
However, the families sought a higher figure: €9 million per victim. The sum was symbolic, according to the report; Abu Daoud, the terrorist mastermind behind the attack, claimed in his autobiography that Germany had offered his terror group, Black September, $9 million (€9.01 million) to hijack a Lufthansa plane and demand the Munich terrorists' release.
The improved offer, which came after intensive negotiations, is much closer to the families' demand.
The German government convened a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue, as well as other pressing issues such as the country's impending energy crisis and the conflict in Ukraine, according to the Ynet report. A high-level German official present at the meeting reportedly stated that the discussions regarding the issue were of the utmost significance to the German government.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 5, 1972, members of the Israeli Olympic team were kidnapped in the athletes' village by members of Black September. After a standoff and subsequent botched rescue effort, 11 Israelis and a German policeman had been killed.
The kidnapping of the hostages and their subsequent deaths shocked the world and infuriated Israel. The games were allowed to resume after a brief 34-hour pause, a decision that was severely condemned at the time and subsequently.
The families of the 11 Israeli victims criticized the German authorities for mishandling the attack and its aftermath.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
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