Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Prime Minister Yair Lapid to cut off ties with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas after Abas accused Israel of committing "50 Holocausts" while in Berlin on Tuesday.
"Stop flattering Holocaust denier Abu Mazen (Abbas). You are boycotting us in Likud, and you are flattering him?" Netanyahu asked.
On Tuesday, Abbas responded to a question regarding the Munich Massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic games by Palestinian Arab terrorists.
In responding to the question regarding whether he would apologize for the massacre, Abbas dismissed the matter, saying: "I have 50 slaughters that Israel committed….50 massacres, 50 slaughters, 50 holocausts."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to Abbas' statements, telling BILD: "Especially for us Germans, any relativization of the Holocaust is unbearable and unacceptable."
Prime Minister Yair Lapid later blasted Abbas over the comments, saying, “Mahmoud Abbas accusing Israel of having committed ‘50 Holocausts’ while standing on German soil is 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. History will never forgive him,” he added.
Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, also condemned Abbas over the comments.
“What President Abbas said in Berlin about ‘50 holocausts’ is wrong and unacceptable,” he tweeted.
“Germany will never stand for any attempt to deny the singular dimension of the crimes of the Holocaust,” stressed Seibert.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has resisted calls that he stop meeting with Abbas in light of his antisemitic statements.
"It's best if those who aren't responsible for sending soldiers to battle and aren't responsible for the lives of the citizens of Israel and the soldiers in the IDF, don't lecture me about meetings that prevented and are preventing the next war, and are bringing stability out in the field and freedom and diplomatic freedom," Gantz stated.
According to Gantz, "Thanks to the coordination by the lower ranks in the field, by the heads of the defense networks, and by myself, the lives of many soldiers and civilians were saved. Whoever wants to stick their heads in the sand and ignore the complex security and diplomatic reality, is not fit to rule and lead the state of Israel."
The minister closed his statement by saying: "I hope to continue and responsibly conduct diplomacy in the area, specifically with the Palestinians, for Israel's safety and not out of political consideration."