Smotrich refers to Nazis as he brands Germany 'hypocrites' over Israeli settler criticism

Smotrich refers to Nazis as he brands Germany 'hypocrites' over Israeli settler criticism Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 11:26 Far-right Israeli minister responds to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's 'concern' over 'de facto annexation' in the West Bank Bezalel Smotrich holds a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim, a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, on 14 August 2025 (Menahem Kahana / AFP) Off Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich has invoked the history of the Nazi Holocaust as he branded Germany "hypocrites" after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was "deeply concerned" about settler attacks in the occupied West Bank . Writing before Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, Smotrich said the German chancellor "should bow his head and apologise a thousand times on behalf of Germany" for the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust rather than "preach morality" to Israel. "We will not accept instructions from hypocritical leaders in Europe, a continent that is once again losing its conscience and its ability to distinguish between good and evil," Smotrich posted on X.