Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich Attacks German Chancellor Merz Using Holocaust References

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated tensions with Germany in a late-night post on X the eve of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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He said Merz should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany, rather than daring to preach morality to us.

Haaretz

Smotrich invoked the October 7 attacks, framing Israel's current actions as part of a broader struggle against the Nazis of our generation.

He addressed Merz directly: The days when Germans dictated to Jews where they were permitted or forbidden to live are over and shall not return.

Merz had expressed deep concern over Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria and warned that there must be no de facto annexation.

The exchange triggered diplomatic fallout, with the Israeli embassy in Berlin distancing the government from Smotrich's remarks.

The embassy said Smotrich's comments do not reflect the position of the Israeli government.

JFeed

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the remarks as unacceptable and deeply offensive.

The controversy unfolded as Israel prepared to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Merz's comments reflected ongoing European concerns over Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria.

Merz's warning came amid growing European pressure on Israel over settlement expansion and legal status.

“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the German leader expressed concern over Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria, escalating tensions between Jerusalem and Berlin”

JFeed

Israel has repeatedly rejected external pressure, framing it as a matter of national security and historical rights.

Smotrich's post framed the dispute in existential terms, invoking Holocaust memory and the October 7 attacks.

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