Yasser Abu Sido, an official with Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction, said in a recent television appearance that while he is not a "fan of Hitler," the Holocaust was committed for "obvious reasons."
Speaking on a February 23 show on Egypt’s Sada Al-Balad TV, Abu Sido also said that "the Jews and global Zionism" planned to take control of Germany, claiming they started to bring Germany down in terms of the economy and moral values. Abu Sido continued to say that the Jews distorted the Torah.
The remarks were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
"Several European, Americana and Arab officials have said that an Israeli attack against the Palestinians in Rafah would constitute a no lesser crime than the Holocaust. I would like to ask: Why did the Holocaust happen? I am not a fan of Hitler, but when Hitler perpetrated the Holocaust, he had obvious reasons. The Jews and global Zionism were offered various places in the world – in Argentina, in Uganda, in the north of Sinai, in the south of Iraq... But they chose Palestine, for other reasons that we may mention later,” he stated.
"They planned to take control of Germany. They started to bring down Germany in terms of the economy and moral values. Hitler reacted by making the Jews go on the streets and lick the sidewalks. They know this very well. Kristallnacht is well known is Jewish history, and so is the Night of the Long Knives, when Jews were ordered to put Stars of David on their breasts, and they were called 'filthy Jews,'" claimed Abu Sido.
He also charged, "Let me say this loud and clear – the Jews distorted many verses in the Torah, in order to make them more agreeable for them. I do not want to cite examples, because some people might consider me an antisemite, although it is us Arabs who are Semites, not them."
Fatah is often touted by the West as a “moderate peace partner” for Israel, but its officials and leaders incite against Israel and make antisemitic remarks.
This includes Abbas himself, who has denied the atrocities of the Holocaust on more than one occasion. In September, the PA chairman claimed that Jews were murdered in the Holocaust not because of their Jewishness but so that the Nazis could seize their money.
In 2022, during a visit to Germany, Abbas accused Israel of committing “50 Holocausts” since its war for independence in 1948. Following public and political outcry, Abbas later qualified his remarks, saying in a statement that the Holocaust was “the most heinous crime in modern human history.”
Despite the severity of his remarks and the fact that Holocaust denial is outlawed in Germany, Berlin’s attorney general dismissed incitement to hate charges against Abbas, saying he was protected by diplomatic immunity even though Germany does not recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state.