By Maximilian Both, Angelika Hellemann and Julian Röpcke
Shocking relativization of the Holocaust in the Federal Chancellery – and Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) is silent!
State visit to the German head of government. Guest: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (87), who has ruled large parts of the Palestinian territory for 17 years since his election in 2005.
But what Abbas says in response to a journalist’s question about the Munich Olympics 50 years ago is not statesmanlike, but sheer belittling of the Holocaust – the systematic mass murder of over six million Jews by the Nazis.
Abbas’ scandalous claim in the wording: “Since 1947 to the present day, Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian villages and towns, 50 massacres, 50 holocausts (ed.).”
An incredible relativization of the Holocaust!
But what happens next is even more incredible. Olaf Scholz’ spokesman Steffen Hebestreit thanks the journalists for their presence and wishes them a safe journey home.
Instead of contradicting, Scholz takes off his headphones, irritated, shakes hands with Abbas and leaves the room with him. Not a word of dissent in the face of the worst relativization of the Holocaust that a head of government has ever uttered in the chancellor’s office.
Scholz said goodbye to Abbas without comment just a minute after putting the Holocaust into perspective Photo: picture alliance/dpa
When asked by BILD, a government spokeswoman said: “Before the Chancellor could contradict this outrageous sentence, the government spokesman had already moderated the press conference – as usual after the last question/answer block – which visibly annoyed Scholz. The government spokesman then told the journalists who were still present, who could not help noticing the Chancellor’s annoyance, how outraged the Chancellor was about the statement and also that he had not had the opportunity to openly contradict one more time.”
Only later did Scholz comment on the scandalous statements made by the Palestinian President.
︎ The Chancellor said to BILD in the evening: “Especially for us Germans, any relativization of the Holocaust is unbearable and unacceptable.”
Abbas’ claim is baseless and essentially anti-Semitic. one of
Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians never happened. Apparently, the Palestinian President equates armed clashes between Palestinians and Israelis in villages and towns with the systematic murder of millions of Jews.
Union politicians are appalled by the incident in the Chancellery! CDU leader Friedrich Merz (66) writes on Twitter: “An incredible process in the Chancellery. The Chancellor should have contradicted the Palestinian President in no uncertain terms and asked him to leave the house!”
︎ CDU politician Armin Laschet (61) comments on Twitter: “The PLO leader would have won sympathy if he had apologized for the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Accusing Israel of ’50 Holocausts’ instead is the most disgusting speech ever heard in the Federal Chancellery.”
