Modern Arab Palestinian leadership: Palestinian Authority, Nazism and Nazi Collaborators
Modern Arab Palestinian leadership: Palestinian Authority, Nazism and Nazi Collaborators
Introduction
Controversies surrounding antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, and praise for Nazi collaborators have repeatedly emerged in connection with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Fatah movement, and senior Palestinian political figures. Critics — including Yad Vashem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and watchdog organizations such as Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) — have documented repeated examples of Holocaust revisionism, praise for Nazi collaborators, and public glorification of figures associated with Nazi Germany.
Historical Background: Haj Amin al-Husseini and Nazi Germany
A central figure in many controversies is Haj Amin al-Husseini, the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. During World War II, al-Husseini helped in pro-Nazi coup in Iraq before the Farjoud atrocious pogrom on local Jews carried out (which, his and other Palestinian Arab instigation were a big part of), had collaborated with Nazi Germany, met Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1941, broadcast pro-Axis propaganda, helped recruiting Muslim Waffen-SS recruitment efforts in the Balkans, intervened to prevent children from Eastern Europe about to be rescued from the Holocaust to escape to Mandatory Palestine, plotted to set up an Aucshwitz like crematorium Dothan valley for Jews in Arab countries and in Mandatory Palestine.
Despite this history, al-Husseini has frequently been honored in strands of Palestinian political culture. Palestinian Media Watch has documented instances of PA-affiliated messaging and Fatah-linked material portraying him as a national symbol.
Reports have also stated naming initiatives and public praise for al-Husseini in various Palestinian political and media contexts in recent years.
Mahmoud Abbas and Holocaust Revisionism
Early Writings
Before becoming president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas wrote a doctoral thesis in the Soviet Union later published as The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism. The work minimizes [aspects of]the Holocaust and promotes conspiracy theories.
2018 Palestinian National Council Speech
On April 30, 2018, Abbas delivered a speech before the Palestinian National Council that drew widespread international criticism. Observers including Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum condemned portions of the speech as antisemitic and historically distorted.
“Mahmoud Abbas sought to teach the Palestinians, and the rest of us, a purported ‘lesson in history,’ replete with antisemitic tropes and distortions of historical facts.”
2022 “50 Holocausts[sic]” Statement
In August 2022, during a press conference in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Abbas compared Israeli actions to “50 Holocausts[sic],” sparking widespread condemnation in Germany and internationally.
2023 Remarks About Hitler and Jews
In September 2023, Abbas again faced criticism after false statements attributed to him suggested that Nazi persecution of Jews was linked to “social role” rather than religion.
Palestinian Authority Media and Educational Controversies
Educational Content
Reports have cited examples of school materials and youth publications portraying Hitler in a favorable light or including problematic historical framing. These claims have been raised by monitoring organizations and others.
Television and Media Programming
In 2001, Palestinian Authority television broadcast the Ramadan series Horseman Without a Horse, which drew criticism for themes alleged to resemble motifs from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Statements by Palestinian Officials and Media Figures
In January 2016, former Palestinian intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi said during an interview:
“Let us talk logically. Hitler was not [sic] morally corrupt. He was daring.”
The exchange was widely cited in media reporting as an example of rhetoric involving Adolf Hitler in Palestinian discourse.
In 2024, remarks by a Fatah official, Yasser Abu Sido, lied that Hitler had “obvious reasons” for attempting to exterminate the Jews
Contemporary Criticism and Analysis
In 2026, commentary published in international media outlets argued that some Palestinian political messaging has, at times, echoed themes associated with historic antisemitic narratives in Europe.
Timeline of Major Incidents
| Year | Incident |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Haj Amin al-Husseini meets Adolf Hitler in Berlin and engages in pro-Axis broadcasting activity. |
| 2001 | Palestinian Authority TV airs Horseman Without a Horse, criticized for antisemitic themes. |
| 2016 | Reported remarks by Tawfik Tirawi describing Hitler in positive terms during an interview. |
| 2018 | Mahmoud Abbas delivers Palestinian National Council speech widely condemned for antisemitic tropes. |
| 2022 | Abbas compares Israeli actions to “50 Holocausts” in Berlin press conference. |
| 2023 | Abbas criticized for remarks interpreted as minimizing antisemitic intent of Nazi persecution. |
| 2024 | Fatah-linked official remarks reported by monitoring organizations falsely justifying Hitler's Holocaust. |
| 2026 | Reports and commentary highlight continued outrage over naming and symbolic commemoration of historical figures. |
References
- The Palestinian Authority’s Nazi sympathies
- Yad Vashem Condemnation of Mahmoud Abbas Statements
- Abbas’ advisor praises Nazi collaborator as “role model”
- Fatah praises Nazi ally Al-Husseini and 1929 riot participants
- Combat Antisemitism Movement report on Abbas remarks
- Wall Street Journal editorial on Abbas remarks
- The Algemeiner article on Palestinian propaganda and Nazi rhetoric
- MEMRI, Fatah official Yasser Abu Sido recording
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