A debate over the Middle East conflict led to a Jewish student in Berlin being hospitalized

BERLIN (AP) — A college student in Berlin beat a Jewish classmate until he was hospitalized after the two got into an argument Friday night about the Israel-Hamas conflict, police said.

The 30-year-old Jewish student was out with an acquaintance in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood just before midnight on Friday when he met his 23-year-old fellow university student.

Two students – a 23-year-old who held strong pro-Palestinian views, and a 30-year-old Jewish student who had posted pro-Israel views on social media – became involved in a heated discussion.

As the argument escalated, the 23-year-old man punched the 30-year-old man in the face until he fell to the ground, police said. The suspect kicked the older student while he was lying on the ground, then fled the scene.

The victim was brought to the hospital with facial fractures. Police said his injuries were not life-threatening.

Police eventually tracked the suspect to his home in Berlin’s Schöneberg neighborhood, where they searched and seized evidence, including his smartphone. Police said, investigation is ongoing.

This incident has come to light between steep rise In anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, which have since become more common Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and Israel’s military offensive into Gaza, now in its fourth month.

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