Israel's ambassador to Germany has issued a rare public condemnation of a senior cabinet colleague after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich invoked Nazi imagery to attack German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, prompting a sharp diplomatic row between two countries that consider themselves close allies. Ambassador Ron Prosor said Smotrich's remarks "erode the memory of the Holocaust and present it in a completely distorted way" — an unusually direct rebuke of a sitting minister by an active envoy.

The confrontation was sparked after Merz, speaking following a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated publicly that a "de facto annexation" of the occupied West Bank must not be allowed and urged Israel to halt military operations in southern Lebanon. In response, Smotrich — a far-right politician and self-declared settler advocate who has championed the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank — took to social media to denounce the German leader in historically charged terms. "On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the German Chancellor should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany, rather than daring to preach morality to us," Smotrich wrote. He added: "The days when Germans dictated to Jews where they were permitted or forbidden to live are over. You will not force us into ghettos again, certainly not in our own land."

The timing made the remarks particularly incendiary. Israel's national Holocaust Remembrance Day, known as Yom HaShoah, falls in spring and is among the most solemn days in the Israeli calendar. Speaking on Israeli public radio Kan, Prosor stressed that Germany remained Israel's "number one friend" in Europe, even amid ongoing policy disagreements. "It is possible and completely legitimate to argue with the Germans," he said, "but Merz is a great friend of Israel."

The outburst reflects a deepening tension between Berlin and Netanyahu's government, which has repeatedly clashed with German officials over settlement expansion and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Germany's relationship with Israel is shaped by a concept known as Staatsräson — a foundational commitment, rooted in German responsibility for the Holocaust, to Israel's security and existence. Nevertheless, Berlin has grown increasingly critical of Israeli policies: last year, Merz announced a halt to German arms exports that could be used in Gaza, and Germany recently urged Israel to abandon a major settlement construction project that Smotrich has championed. Israel's foreign minister separately berated Germany's own ambassador to Israel over his criticism of settlement deepening.

Analysts warn the episode signals a broader strategic risk for Israel. Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group noted that the Netanyahu government had repeatedly targeted Germany "for invoking the basic human rights of Palestinians," even at the cost of alienating its strongest European supporter. She called on Berlin to reassess its approach, arguing that continued deference to the current Israeli administration was now being met with open hostility rather than goodwill.