“European media have latched on and won’t let go — headlines and analyses everywhere. It’s completely wild. Bibi [Netanyahu] has caused us grave damage,” a former Israeli ambassador to a major European capital said in despair, speaking on condition of anonymity on Oct. 22.
The former envoy, who monitors European media on a daily basis, sounded horrified. He described at length the pointed discussions being conducted abroad since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, was the one who planted the seed for Hitler’s Final Solution idea. This claim, which has been discredited by many historians, set off a huge storm, as expected. In Europe, and especially in Germany where Netanyahu landed Wednesday, Oct. 21, for an official visit, the discussions dealt with the essence of his comment and its significance. On the other hand, Israeli media, and especially the social networks, reported what he said and then immediately went on to the wholesale production of jokes at the prime minister’s expense.