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Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid
Photo: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS
Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid about the statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
At the beginning of the conversation, the chancellor again rejected and condemned Abbas' statements, Lapid's office said on Thursday.
On Twitter, the Prime Minister thanked Scholz for condemning Abbas' statements.
It was therefore important for Scholz to clarify this personally and publicly.
Lapid is himself the son of a Holocaust survivor.
During a visit to Berlin on Tuesday, Abbas accused Israel of multiple "Holocausts" against the Palestinians, thereby triggering outrage (see a video here).
"Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian locations since 1947 to this day," Abbas said at a press conference with Chancellor Scholz, adding: "50 massacres, 50 holocausts."
The Chancellor did not reply to this at the press conference and only later clearly distanced himself from the statements (read more here).
The fact that Scholz did not immediately contradict the statement was widely criticized.
According to Israeli sources, Scholz and Lapid emphasized the importance of relations between Israel and Germany and agreed to continue cooperation in various areas.
A meeting is also planned for the near future.
Further information on a possible date was not given.
as/dpa