Scholz’s reaction to the Holocaust comparison: a silence that was far too loud

The Holocaust comparison of Palestinian President Abbas – for ARD correspondent Georg Schwarte unspeakable. The Chancellor’s lack of reaction was all the more incomprehensible. A silence that will probably reverberate for a long time.

“I am deeply outraged by the unspeakable statements made by Palestinian President Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativization of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable.” This reaction from Chancellor Olaf Scholz is clear – but also clearly too late. 16 long hours passed before the chancellor himself responded via Twitter.

A federal chancellor reacts with seven tweeted lines to what is probably one of the most calculated taboo breaches that a president has ever allowed himself to do in the Berlin Chancellery. “50 massacres in 50 Palestinian villages. 50 holocausts,” said Abbas in the Chancellery early in the evening yesterday. Holocaust. Everyone hears it. The Chancellor stands two meters away. The expression unreadable. reaction – none.

It would have needed clear words

Israel’s security is a German reason of state. The uniqueness of the crime called Holocaust is German guilt and shame. The relativization on German soil in the official residence of a German chancellor is outrageous and would have needed more than just a petrified expression and the helpless gesture of telling a tabloid of all things afterwards that the chancellor was really outraged. And he only didn’t object because his spokesman had ended the press conference beforehand. Serious?

A Chancellor ends press conferences. And a Chancellor contradicts when the Holocaust, the German guilt, is put into perspective.

Where was the communicative expertise?

No one doubts for a second the fundamental stance of this Chancellor when it comes to condemning anti-Semitism and showing solidarity with Israel. But many doubt the communicative expertise of a German head of government who leaves such words uncommented. “50 Holocausts by Israel.” This reverberates far beyond Berlin, where they once planned and organized the Holocaust.

Never again. Olaf Scholz also said these words. Never again. But never be silent again. Scholz was silent at the wrong time.

Mahmoud Abbas is known for such speeches, heard year after year before the UN General Assembly. The accusation of apartheid against Israel – repeated only last year in the world hall of the United Nations in New York.

The federal government should have been prepared

In Berlin they could have guessed, no, they should have, that it might be necessary to contradict this latently incendiary President Abbas on the open stage, if necessary. When it came to apartheid, the Chancellor did. But when it came to the Holocaust accusation, he remained silent. The loud silence of Scholz. It reverberate. Far beyond the appearance of this Palestinian President, who incidentally has done more damage to the Palestinian cause and many legitimate concerns of a people who have been suffering for decades than the 87-year-old President could possibly have imagined.

The chancellor could have walked with Abbas to the Holocaust memorial yesterday. And use the way there to explain to the Palestinian President how Germany thinks about the unique crime of the Holocaust and German guilt.