Berlin coalition talks called off over antisemitism deal concerns

BERLIN, Oct 13 (Reuters) — Germany's Greens and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) broke off exploratory talks on forming Berlin's next state government with the far-left Left Party on Tuesday evening to assess whether antisemitism measures agreed last week still stand. The proposed measures would allow lawmakers accused of antisemitism to be expelled if a panel came to consensus on the matter; if they disagreed, experts would be called in. The decision comes after the Left admitted lawmaker Vanessa Emde, who has sparked controversy over her stance on Israel, as part of the state of Berlin's new parliamentary group. "We expect the Left to clarify the extent to which they intend to take the agreements we made seriously and implement them," said the two parties in a joint statement after the Left held a constituent meeting. The Left, a hard-left party represented in Berlin by lead candidate Elif Eralp, emerged from the September 20 state election as the largest force, with 25.7% of the votes. The Left did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the ended exploratory talks. Tensions over antisemitism and the Israel-Gaza conflict have become a major fault line in G