Israel finance minister wey dey far-right, Bezalel Smotrich, don demand say German Chancellor Friedrich Merz must apologise after Merz warn about wetin e call "de facto annexation" of the occupied West Bank.
Merz talk on Monday say him "deeply concerned about developments in the Palestinian territories" and e stress for phone call wey e do with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say "there must be no de facto annexation of the West Bank".
As answer, Smotrich release one statement wey sharp, im even mention Holocaust Remembrance Day to scold Berlin. E talk say the German leader suppose "bow his head and apologise a thousand times" instead of "daring to preach morality", and e reject wetin e call European "instructions" to Israel.
The minister wey people sabi for him extremist stand about Palestinian land, paint Israel policy as continuation of one historic "return" to wetin e call im biblical homeland, and e waka off international criticism as hypocrisy.
The words come as people dey worry more about Israeli actions for the occupied West Bank, where rights groups and international observers dey warn say settlement expansion dey increase, land dey confiscate and violence from illegal settlers against Palestinians dey grow.
Illegal expansion dey intensify
According to many reports, Israeli authorities don expand settlement outposts, grab land wey Palestinians own and tighten military control for big parts of the territory.
Palestinian communities dey face house demolitions, forced displacement and movement restrictions, while attacks from settlers, many times under the protection of Israeli forces, don intensify these last months.
International community dey widely regard Israeli settlements for the West Bank as illegal under international law — position wey United Nations don confirm many times.
This latest back-and-forth show say tension between Israel and European governments dey deepen as people dey call for accountability over policies wey dem see as to deepen occupation and to spoil chances for fair peace for Palestinians.
