Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt apologised on Monday after the Samoa Observer published a seven-second video from a July 2007 family gathering in which he led a Nazi salute and said "Heil Hitler". Schmidt, then an MP and deputy speaker, said the gesture was inappropriate and does not reflect his beliefs, adding: "I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism." The episode matters because Schmidt, who became prime minister in 2025, has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has pledged to open a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem (a city whose status is disputed) by the end of 2026.