Berlin police investigate Abbas’ Holocaust comments

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin police have opened a preliminary investigation against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over his comments that Israel had committed “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians. The remarks, during a news conference Tuesday in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, sparked outrage in Germany and beyond. Police confirmed a report Friday by German daily Bild that Abbas was being investigated for possible incitement to hatred. Downplaying the Holocaust is a criminal offense in Germany, but the opening of an preliminary probe does not automatically entail a full investigation. Germany’s Foreign Ministry said that Abbas would enjoy immunity from prosecution because he was visiting the country in an official capacity.