Far-right Israeli minister rebukes German chancellor over warning on illegal West Bank annexation
Far-right Israeli finance minister invokes Holocaust remembrance to reject German criticism of land seizures in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded an apology from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the latter warned against what he described as a “de facto annexation” of the occupied West Bank.
Merz said on Monday he was “deeply concerned about developments in the Palestinian territories” and stressed during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “there must be no de facto annexation of the West Bank”.
In response, Smotrich issued a sharply worded statement, invoking Holocaust Remembrance Day to rebuke Berlin. He said the German leader should “bow his head and apologise a thousand times” instead of “daring to preach morality”, rejecting what he described as European “instructions” to Israel.
The minister, known for his extremist positions on Palestinian land, framed Israel’s policies as a continuation of a historic “return” to what he called its biblical homeland, while dismissing international criticism as hypocrisy.
His remarks come amid growing alarm over Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, where rights groups and international observers warn of accelerating settlement expansion, land confiscation and increasing violence by illegal settlers against Palestinians.
Illegal expansion intensifies
According to multiple reports, Israeli authorities have expanded settlement outposts, seized Palestinian-owned land and tightened military control over large parts of the territory.
Palestinian communities face home demolitions, forced displacement and restrictions on movement, while attacks by settlers, often under the protection of Israeli forces, have intensified in recent months.
The international community widely regards Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, a position repeatedly affirmed by the United Nations.
The latest exchange highlights deepening tensions between Israel and European governments as calls grow for accountability over policies seen as entrenching occupation and undermining prospects for a just peace for Palestinians.