Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sparked controversy on Tuesday when, speaking at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he accused Israel of "perpetrating 50 Holocausts against the Palestinians people."
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Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid condemned Abbas' remarks, calling them not only a "moral disgrace," but also a "terrible perversion."
Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel replied, "Exactly. Abu Mazen [Abbas] was and remains a Holocaust denier. Personal meetings with him are a terrible message to the region."
Scholz did not hold back, saying in a tweet: "I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud #Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativization of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust."
PA President Mahmoud Abbas's claim that Israel committed "50 Holocausts" is unacceptable.
Holocaust distortion can have dangerous consequences and fuels antisemitism. https://t.co/Ok7NxQbQba
— Special Envoy Deborah Lipstadt (@StateSEAS) August 17, 2022
The US government also rejected Abbas' claims. In a tweet, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Deborah Lipstadt said, "PA President Mahmoud Abbas's claim that Israel committed "50 Holocausts" is unacceptable. Holocaust distortion can have dangerous consequences and fuels antisemitism."
Germany's ambassador to Israel Steffan Seibert tweeted: "What President Abbas said in Berlin about "50 Holocausts" is wrong and unacceptable. Germany will never stand for any attempt to deny the singular dimension of the crimes of the Holocaust."
I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud #Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativization of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) August 17, 2022
In a written statement, Abbas' office said that "President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirms that the Holocaust is the most heinous crime in modern human history."
The statement stressed that "his answer was not intended to deny the singularity of the Holocaust that occurred in the last century, and condemning it in the strongest terms."
During his visit to Germany, Abbas was asked if he would be willing to apologize for the Palestinian terrorist massacre of 11 members of the Israeli delegation to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Abbas refused, citing "the acts of slaughter in Kafr Qasem and Tantura," and accusing Israel of "perpetrating 50 Holocausts against Palestinians in 50 years."
What President #Abbas said in Berlin about „50 holocausts" is wrong and unacceptable. Germany will never stand for any attempt to deny the singular dimension of the crimes of the Holocaust.
— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) August 16, 2022
Abbas also claimed, falsely, that Israel had acknowledged the slaughter in Tantura, and repeated his frequent claim that Israel is an "apartheid" state.
Scholz rejected the use of the term "apartheid," saying, "Naturally we have a different assessment with a view to Israeli politics, and I want to expressly say here that I do not espouse the use of the word apartheid and do not think it correctly describes the situation."
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