Netanyahu Claims Trump Now ‘Understands’ Jewish Meaning Of Holocaust

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WASHINGTON (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was his impression that President Donald Trump’s administration now understands that the meaning of the Holocaust was the attempt to eradicate the Jews.

Netanyahu said he did not bring up the White House’s controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement in his meeting Wednesday with Trump, but that their teams had discussed it ahead of the summit. The statement omitted any mention of or allusion to the Jews.

“There is no doubt that they now understand the meaning of the Holocaust as a means to strike out the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said in a briefing after the summit for Israeli reporters.

The Jan. 27 statement drew criticism from an array of Jewish groups, including several that otherwise back Trump.

Administration spokesmen said the statement was meant to be “inclusive” of other groups that suffered during World War II and derided objections as “asinine” and “pathetic.”

Asked to comment on expressions of concern by Jewish organizational leaders, Netanyahu insisted: “There is no basis for these worries.”