Dr. Saeb Erekat: Netanyahu hates Palestinians so much that he is willing to absolve Hitler of the murder of 6 million Jews.

In an address to the 37th Zionist Congress, Mr. Netanyahu did not mince words.  His regrettable statements have deepened the divide during a time when a just and lasting peace is needed most, further fueling the political issue into a religious one, and underscoring his commitment to the continued occupation and violence against Palestinians.

Just a day after the Israeli occupying forces gunned down five Palestinians, raising up the number of Palestinians killed since October 1st to 50, Mr. Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for the Holocaust and completely absolved Adolf Hitler’s heinous and reprehensible genocide of the Jewish people.  According to Netanyahu, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, “flew to Berlin” to convince Hitler to kill the Jews.

“Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews,” Netanyahu explained.  "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.' 'So what should I do with them?' [Hitler] asked.

[Haj Amin] said, 'Burn them.' "

On behalf of the thousands of Palestinians that fought alongside the Allied Troops in defense of international justice, the State of Palestine denounces these morally indefensible and inflammatory statements.  Palestinian efforts against the Nazi regime are a deep-rooted part of our history.  Palestine will never forget – though it seems Netanyahu’s extremist government has.  It is a sad day in history when the leader of the Israeli government hates his neighbor so much so that he is willing to absolve the most notorious war criminal in history, Adolf Hitler, of the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. Mr. Netanyahu should stop using this human tragedy to score points for his political end.