From Wikipedia:
The Steiger Award or Der Steiger is an international award established in 2005 and presented annually by the award organization based in Bochum, Germany. The title refers to steiger (mining foreman), reflecting the qualities of responsibility, honesty, openness and hard work valued in the Ruhr region where the award is presented.
The award was created by private initiative and is presented annually to individuals who are notable for accomplishments in charity, music, film, media, sports, the environment and building of the European community.
Looking at the Steiger Award page for this year, it describes the accomplishments of those that it gives the award to.
But the person that received the main award has a biography that is strikingly short of actual accomplishment.
STEIGER AWARD Special award for President Abbas
President Abbas will personally accept the award at the Zeche Hansemann in Dortmund.
Mahmoud Abbas was born 1935th He studied at the University of Damascus and a doctorate at the University of Moscow. From 1996 to 2004 he was the Secretary General of the PLO, in 2003 he became Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. Since 2004 he is Chairman of the PLO, he was elected president of 2005.
So, he actually hasn’t accomplished anything except to be chosen as Abbas’ successor in a kleptocracy and imaginary government.
I wonder how many of the Germans behind this award are aware of Abbas’ history with Holocaust denial in his thesis and subsequent book.
Why exactly did Abbas get this award?
With the award, the jury would like to give a clear signal in slow-moving peace process between Israel and Palestine.
Um, OK.
Except if that is true, and the award is more to encourage the peace process than to recognize accomplishments towards peace, then shouldn’t they have given it to Netanyahu at the same time?
This award shows how screwed up the world is and how the West has swallowed Palestinian propaganda whole.
Even if you don’t like Netanyahu, his accomplishments as a national leader far outweigh Abbas’. And he has proposed more peace plans and frameworks than Abbas has.
And he is not a serial liar and Holocaust denier. He doesn’t encourage terror attacks nor does he reward terrorists and their families.
But from reading the media, you would think that Abbas is the man of peace and Netanyahu is the warmonger. And clearly the people behind this award feel the same way.
In this case, it is especially jarring that the fun-house image of reality allows a true antisemite to be given a prestigious German award.
(The irony of an antisemite receiving the award has not been lost on German bloggers, either. )
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