German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prior to their meeting at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the Israeli head of government on Thursday to once again slam a Holocaust comparison made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier this week in Berlin.

In his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Scholz stressed “that he strongly condemns every attempt to deny or relativize the Holocaust,” German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said.

Abbas’ remarks in Berlin were intolerable and completely unacceptable for him personally and for the entire German government, Scholz said, according to Hebestreit.

Standing side-by-side with Scholz for a press conference, Abbas on Tuesday accused Israel of committing a “Holocaust” against Palestinians. “Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian locations since 1947,” Abbas said, adding: “50 massacres, 50 Holocausts.”

Scholz listened to Abbas’ response with a look of alarm and annoyance, but did not offer an immediate reply, provoking criticism from the conservative opposition.

In Thursday’s telephone conversation with Lapid, Scholz went on to say that keeping alive the memory of the Shoah is an everlasting responsibility of this and every German government.

Lapid’s office said that Scholz had again rejected and condemned Abbas’ statements at the beginning of the call.

“Prime Minister Lapid thanked him, both as the prime minister of Israel, and as the son of Holocaust survivors,” according to a statement from Lapid’s office.

“The two emphasized the importance of ties between Israel and Germany, and agreed to continue the cooperation between their two countries in various fields,” the statement continued.