B'Tselem responds to Smotrich's criticism of German interference in Israeli settlement policy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Friedrich Merz not to interfere in settlement policy, stating Germans should not tell Jews where to live. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem responded with a letter to Chancellor Merz expressing deep urgency. B'Tselem, which has documented Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians for decades, expressed concern about the instrumentalization of Holocaust remembrance to justify the unjustifiable. Smotrich's statements to Merz and the German people are described as remarkable evidence of moral and political hypocrisy. His instrumental use of the Holocaust, ghettos, and Germany's historical responsibility serves as a shield against legitimate criticism of Israel's ongoing annexation of the West Bank.