A spokesperson for Angela Merkel clarified that Germany was responsible for the Holocaust after Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians.
“All Germans know the history of the murderous race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with civilization that was the Holocaust,” said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German Chancellor, according to the Independent. “This is taught in German schools for good reason, it must never be forgotten and I see no reason to change our view of history in any way.”
Seibert’s response came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that Haj Amin al-Husseini, a World War II-era Palestinian leader, convinced Adolf Hitler to exterminate the Jews as part of his Final Solution, rather than expel them from Germany. Netanyahu’s comments have incited backlash in Israel and around the world.
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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com