As Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas compared the treatment of Palestinians by Israel to the Holocaust at a press conference in the German Chancellery, Olaf Scholz's lack of reaction can at best be described as complete helplessness.
In the moment, the Chancellor stared straight ahead, clearly incensed. But no word of dissent passed his lips as Abbas made the provocative statement that, "Since 1947 up until today, Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian areas — 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts."
Shortly afterward, Scholz' spokesperson ended the conference, and Scholz and Abbas shook hands.
What is completely clear is that no German chancellor can ever allow a guest to deny, relativize or pollute the memory of the worst crime in the history of humanity in any way, particularly on German soil.
The Holocaust — apparently this reminder needs to be heard again in Germany — was planned in Berlin. It is Nazi Germany that carries the blame for the murder of 6 million Jews. Honoring the memory of the victims is the responsibility of the German government to this day.
Problems with Germany's culture of remembrance
However, something is obviously going very wrong in Germany's remembrance culture. There is no other way to explain why Olaf Scholz had the presence of mind to respond when the word "apartheid" was used.
That term is highly controversial and the Israeli government has repeatedly condemned it as antisemitic — most recently in the case of a report produced by Amnesty International. Its use is, however, still a subject of hot debate in many intellectual circles in Israel, the US and Germany.
That the chancellor made clear that he and the German government do not use the term apartheid with relation to Israel is important. He was obviously well prepared in this regard.
So how can it be that he did not count on the possibility that Abbas could pull out a Holocaust comparison? After all, it's not the first time the president of the Palestinian National Authority has tried to gain attention with unacceptable statements.
Scholz' explanation came too late
And here, a glaring misunderstanding becomes apparent: The German government does not necessarily need to pin down terms that are hotly debated in the context of the Middle East conflict, and that are used not only by many other Palestinians but also by renowned human rights organizations.
But when it comes to remembering the Holocaust, that crosses a red line. That is the point at which Germany has a duty, and cannot remain silent. That Olaf Scholz did not immediately reject Abbas' words has massively damaged Germany's image — not only in Israel — and cannot be excused.
After the press conference, the chancellor tweeted, "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."
But his explanation came too late. The scandal had already reached Israel, and serves to further inflame the already extremely tense recent situation in the Middle East. Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid, himself the son of a Holocaust survivor, had already declared with regard to Abbas on Twitter, that "history will never forgive him."
Abbas does not represent all Palestinians
Abbas' words do not require any further comment. They are shameful and a disgrace. But they are also especially harmful to Palestinians, who deserve to once again choose who represents them on the world stage (as a reminder, the most recent democratic elections were held 16 years ago), and who deserve a president who tries to be diplomatic.
Abbas could have ensured that after the press conference, people were talking about how an airstrike by Israeli forces — and not, as initially declared by the Israeli side, an errant Islamic Jihad missile — killed five children in Gaza just a few days ago.
Instead, he tarnished the memory of Holocaust victims — and with them, the reputation of all those Palestinians who would never relativize the Holocaust, and who want nothing more for themselves and for the Israelis than peace at last.
This text was originally written in German.