A social media post by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opposing what he called the “de facto annexation” of Judea and Samaria sparked a fierce confrontation on Monday evening with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
An outraged Smotrich responded, “On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the German Chancellor should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany,” Smotrich wrote. “He should not dare lecture us on how to deal with the Nazis of our generation – who murdered, raped, slaughtered, and burned women, the elderly, and children in the most horrific massacre committed against the Jewish people since the terrible Holocaust.”
Smotrich then addressed the Jewish people’s right to their land and delivered a firm message to the Chancellor: “Mr. Chancellor, the days when Germans dictated to Jews where they are allowed to live and where they are not – are over and will never return. You will not force us back into ghettos – certainly not in our own land.”
AFSI’s take:
The timing of Merz’s post seems intentionally selected as it occurred on the eve of Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day. What a lack of sensitivity and respect. The Land of Israel is not owned by Germany, and Israel is the only entity authorized to determine its own legal and sovereign future. Although Israel prefers no support for the delusional two-state solution, it does not remain anxiously awaiting a shift in perspective from those on the opposing side.
Source:
Smotrich’s response to German Chancellor: You won’t force us back into ghettos, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, April 14, 2026