Museum Strongly Condemns Abbas Remarks

WASHINGTON, DC – Recent remarks from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas extend his long record of grossly distorting the Holocaust and promoting antisemitism, claiming most recently that the Holocaust was not about antisemitism and blaming the Jews for the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the most deadly example of antisemitism in history as the Nazis sought to kill every Jew in Europe, resulting in the murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.

“President Abbas’s outrageous remarks echo claims he made in 2018 and which serve to only promulgate antisemitism in the region and around the globe,” said Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield. “Distorting the Holocaust and weaponizing it to attack Jews and Israel is always dangerous, but especially at a time when violent antisemitism is rising worldwide. All leaders and citizens should condemn these statements.”

A nonpartisan federal, educational institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, dedicated to ensuring the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding, and relevance. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.