Published: 18 August 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Palestinian President ‘disgusted’ German Chancellor at their meeting, faces precarious situation at home.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed outrage at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s claim on Tuesday that Israel perpetuated “50 holocausts.”
Abbas made the claim when a reporter asked him to apologise for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics, at a media conference following his meeting with Scholz in Berlin.
Abbas responded: “If you want to go over the past, go ahead. I have 50 slaughters that Israel committed … 50 massacres, 50 slaughters … 50 holocausts.”
Abbas subsequently said that his remarks were not meant to deny the Holocaust, telling the Palestinian Wafa News Agency that the Holocaust was the "most heinous crime in modern human history”.
Video from the press conference shows the German Chancellor grimacing, but he did not address the remarks at the time, tweeting his response the next day.
“I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativisation of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust,” he wrote.
Scholz rejected Abbas’s use of the word “apartheid” to describe relations between Israel and the Palestinians at the media conference.
"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," Scholz said.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Abbas’ remarks about “50 holocausts,” made on German soil, were “not only a moral disgrace, but a monstrous lie.”
“Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, including one and a half million Jewish children,” Lapid tweeted. “History will never forgive him.”
Weeks before a planned sombre commemoration marking the 50th anniversary of the Munich attack, Germany has also found itself embroiled in controversy in its dealings with the relatives of the Israelis who were killed.
Victims’ families announced last week that they planned to boycott the ceremony after failing to reach agreement on bigger compensation from the German government.
Back in the West Bank, Abbas is facing increasing internal problems. The Palestinian president and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, also known as Abu Mazen, being undermined by charges of corruption, inadequate public support, and a lack of central control.
Analysts at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies say Israel needs to support Abbas’ Fatah party in order to head off a Hamas takeover.
“[Fatah] suffers from difficult and unprecedented problems that threaten security stability in the West Bank and might lead to a scenario in which Hamas takes control of the Palestinian Authority. Israel should act to balance the precarious situation in the territories and strengthen the status of the Chairman of the PA.
“Frequent security incidents in the West Bank raise questions about the conduct of Fatah, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Involvement of Fatah members in clashes with IDF forces and cooperation between them and other organizations, especially in the northern West Bank, show Fatah’s lack of central control, the division into factions, and activity based on local instructions. This situation undermines stability across the West Bank, further weakens Abu Mazen’s control, and presents a complex challenge for Israel,” wrote analysts Ali al-Awar and Yhoanan Tzoreff.
They say Israel needs to prepare for Abbas’ departure and support Fatah in order to head off a Hamas takeover.
“Many Palestinians see Abu Mazen as responsible for the internal fracture in the organization and believe he is the primary obstacle to Fatah’s revival. Israel, which is well aware of the fragility of the relative calm in the West Bank and of attempts by Hamas to ignite the West Bank Street against Fatah and the PA, must act now to reduce the shocks expected after the departure of Abu Mazen.”
READ MORE
Abbas accuses Israel of '50 holocausts' after meeting with German chancellor (Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian President walks back '50 holocausts' accusation after drawing worldwide ire (Haaretz)
Palestinian President Abbas skirts apology for Munich attack (AP)
The rift in Fatah, which threatens security stability, is a challenge – and not only for Israel (INSS)
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Photo: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the news conference on Tuesday (LISI NIESNER/ REUTERS/HAARETZ)
