Second Netanyahu Analysis

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German Chancellor Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emerged from talks aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East. Merkel stressed that all sides involved had to contribute to a de-escalation of the conflict. Bundeskanzlerin Merkel trifft Israels Premierminister Netanjahu in Berlin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the building of Jewish settlements was counterproductive to any lasting peace in the region. She also urged Israel and the Palestinians to calm the situation after weeks of violence as she emerged from talks with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I have said this time and again. We have to do everything to calm down the situation and in this spirit I think all sides need to make a contribution," Merkel said. …show more content…

"Germany abides by its responsibility for the Holocaust. We don't see any reason to change our view of history," Merkel said.
In a speech on Tuesday, Netanyahu suggested that Adolf Hitler had not planned to exterminate the Jews until he met Palestinian nationalist Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, in 1941, who allegedly had instructed Hitler to "burn" the Jews.
"Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time. He wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu said at the World Zionist Congress.
Netanyahu later backtracked on the claim, denying that he was exonerating Hitler of the responsibility for the Holocaust, but added that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was nevertheless glorifying the Grand …show more content…

They call him the father of the Palestinian nation, this is a war criminal who was sought for war crimes," said the Israeli leader.
Netanyahu maintains government position
Prime Minister Netanyahu meanwhile reiterated his position that Palestinian incitement - not Israeli policies - were at the root of the current violence. He urged the international community to tell Palestinian President Abbas to stop "incitement" of what he condemned as terrorism, which he had earlier vowed to fight at all costs.
"If we want to have peace we have to stop terror. And to stop terror we have to stop incitement," he said following the talks with Chancellor Merkel. "I think it's important that international community demand president Abbas to stop the incitement and stop spreading lies about the Jewish state and about Israel's policy."
Israeli guardianship of the Temple Mount
Claiming that Palestinian President Abbas had joined Islamists in inciting the recent wave of violence against Israelis, Netanyahu said that among the "false" claims made by Abbas was that Israel was "seeking to destroy the Al-Aqsa