JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, sharply condemned this morning (Tuesday) the remarks made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

After the chancellor expressed concern over rising violence in Judea and Samaria, adding that Israel should not de facto annex the region, Smotrich responded last night on X, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, stating that “On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the German Chancellor should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany, rather than daring to preach morality to us on how to conduct ourselves against the Nazis of our generation—who murdered, raped, slaughtered, and burned women, the elderly, and children in the most horrific massacre perpetrated against the Jewish people since the terrible Holocaust. 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.

​”Mr. Chancellor,
​The days when Germans dictated to Jews where they were permitted or forbidden to live are over and shall not return. You will not force us into ghettos again, certainly not in our own land.

​”Our return to the Land of Israel—our biblical and historical homeland—is the answer to anyone who tried or tries to destroy us, and we do not apologize for it for a single moment.
​Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱”

“I want to condemn this unequivocally,” Prosor said. “It is possible and entirely legitimate to argue with the Germans—especially on this day, which is very emotional. But statements like these are exactly what erode the memory of the Holocaust and present things in a completely distorted way.”

“I, and many others, have serious criticism regarding the rise of antisemitism in Germany and the denial of Israel’s very right to exist,” the ambassador emphasized. However, he added that relations between Israel and Germany remain warmer than with other major European powers: “There are political disagreements all the time, but Merz is a great friend of Israel. Many things Germany does are not acceptable to us, and things we do are not acceptable to them. But Germany has proven, especially amid widespread criticism of Israel in Europe, that it is our number one ally.”