Bibi makes second attempt to undo Holocaust gaffe

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made another attempt to distance himself from his recent gaffe in which he suggested that the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, persuaded Adolf Hitler to exterminate Europe’s Jews.

In a post on his official Facebook page uploaded on Friday, Mr Netanyahu said that he wished to “clarify” the mufti’s relationship with the Nazis.

Elaborating on a statement he made immediately after coming under fire for his initial gaffe, the PM wrote: “Hitler and the Nazi leadership are responsible for the murder of six million Jews.

“The decision to move from a policy of deporting Jews to the Final Solution was made by the Nazis and was not dependent on outside influence.

“The Nazis saw in the Mufti a collaborator, but they did not need him to decide on the systematic destruction of European Jewry, which began in June 1941.”

Netanyahu added: “My remarks were intended to illustrate the murderous approach of the Mufti to the Jews in his lengthy contacts with the Nazi leadership. Contrary to the impression that was created, I did not mean to claim that in his conversation with Hitler in November 1941 the Mufti convinced him to adopt the Final Solution. The Nazis decided on that by themselves.”