After the initially unchallenged Holocaust comparison by Palestinian President Abbas at a press conference in the Chancellery, Scholz telephoned the Israeli prime minister. He also takes the opportunity to invite Lapid to Berlin.
In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid, Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again condemned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ allegations of the Holocaust against Israel. During the conversation, the chancellor made it clear that Abbas’ statements were “intolerable and completely unacceptable for him personally and for the entire federal government,” said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin that afternoon. He also emphasized “that he strongly condemns any attempt to deny or relativize the Holocaust”. After the conversation with Lapid, Scholz himself did not comment on the Holocaust scandal when he appeared in front of journalists in the Chancellery. The subject of this short-term appointment was the reduction in VAT on natural gas. Questions were not allowed.
At a joint press conference with Scholz in the Chancellery on Tuesday, Abbas accused Israel of multiple “Holocausts” against the Palestinians, triggering outrage. “Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian locations from 1947 to the present day,” Abbas said, adding, “50 massacres, 50 holocausts.” The chancellor said nothing in the press conference and only later clearly distanced himself. This was criticized by many as too late. Hebestreit has taken responsibility for the fact that Scholz did not react immediately. He, Hebestreit, ended the press conference too quickly.
From the CDU comes the demand for an apology from the chancellor. It was a scandal that after Abbas’ statements he remained silent “and then also shook Abbas’ hand,” Gitta Connemann, the vice chair of the German-Israeli parliamentary group, told the newspapers of the Funke media group. The chancellor’s silence harms Germany in terms of foreign policy, “first and foremost towards Israel.” The chancellor must limit the damage and explain himself. “And he has to apologize.”
The International Auschwitz Committee complained that Scholz had insufficiently prepared himself “for the expected provocations” by Abbas. “It is also duping the chancellor and an attempt to put pressure on the federal government and Olaf Scholz,” said Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner.
The conversation between Scholz and Lapid was agreed after the scandal in the Chancellery. In the phone call, Scholz also emphasized that keeping alive the memory of the Holocaust’s breach of civilization is an ongoing responsibility of this and every federal government, Hebestreit said. The Chancellor and Lapid also exchanged views on the current situation in the Near and Middle East. Both had also agreed to meet soon in person in Berlin.
Lapid’s office also said that Scholz had rejected and condemned Abbas’ statements at the beginning of the conversation. It was important for Scholz to clarify this personally and publicly. Lapid is himself the son of a Holocaust survivor. According to Israeli information, both emphasized the importance of relations between Israel and Germany and agreed to continue cooperation in various areas.
