German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, according to an Israeli official, is considering flying to Israel in a bid to placate the Jewish state after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s inflammatory comments on Tuesday, in which he claimed that Israel had carried out “50 holocausts” against Palestinians.
Steinmeier would bring with him a new and generous proposal for the purpose of reconciliation with the families of the Israeli athletes who were killed in the Munich massacre.
On Sept. 5, 1972, members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage at the poorly secured athletes' village by Palestinian gunmen from the Black September group.
Within 24 hours, 11 Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman were dead after a standoff and subsequent rescue effort erupted into gunfire.
“The president and other German officials are outraged by Abbas’s statements; Because it caused them great embarrassment that brought to mind the horrors of a dark history, so they are now ready to do anything to please Israel,” an Israeli official said.
“They are studying the possibility of the German president admitting his country's shortcomings in protecting the Israeli athletes, who were killed during the Munich Olympics 50 years ago, and declaring the government's responsibility for this failure and its consequences,” they added.
Steinmeier is considering flying to Israel in a bid to convince the families of the Munich massacre victims to attend commemorations in Germany after they decided they would boycott the events.
The families of the 11 Israeli athletes killed in Munich are refusing to attend after rejecting a German compensation offer as insulting.
The German government has agreed to pay a compensation of 5.5 million euros (in addition to the 4.5 million euros it paid to these families in the past), while the families are requesting compensation of up to about 90 million euros.
Germany responded by saying that 90 million euros was unreasonable.
