In contrast to his previous remarks, Netanyahu wrote Friday that "the decision to move from a policy of deporting Jews to the Final Solution was made by the Nazis and was not dependent on outside influence. “The Nazis saw in the Mufti a collaborator, but they did not need him to decide on the systematic destruction of European Jewry, which began in June 1941.” 
 
 He went on: “Contrary to the impression that was created, I did not mean to claim that in his conversation with Hitler in November 1941 the Mufti convinced him to adopt the Final Solution. The Nazis decided on that by themselves.” 
 
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 That description aligns with the prevailing view of Holocaust historians, but was contradicted by Mr. Netanyahu in a speech on Oct. 20 to the World Zionist Congress where he recounted the meeting between Hitler and Mr. Husseini. Mr. Netanyahu, criticized even by Israeli historians for distorting facts, had already said he never intended to absolve Hitler of responsibility for the Holocaust by blaming the mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, but the new statement went further. He quoted the mufti as saying, “If you expel them, they’ll all come here,” referring to Palestine, and then said Hitler had asked, “So what should I do with them?” The mufti replied, “Burn them,” according to Mr. Netanyahu.
– Unusually for an Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has had to clarify his position on who he thinks caused the Holocaust. In a Facebook post, Netanyahu backtracked from earlier remarks suggesting the extermination of European Jews was a Palestinian's idea, reports i24. "The decision to move from a policy of deporting Jews to the Final Solution was made by the Nazis and was not dependent on outside influence," said Netanyahu, though he stressed that Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini supported the Holocaust and collaborated with the Nazis. "My remarks were intended to illustrate the murderous approach of the Mufti to the Jews in his lengthy contacts with the Nazi leadership," Netanyahu wrote. "The interpretation of my remarks as though I absolved the Nazis of even one ounce of responsibility for the Holocaust is absurd." The Israeli leader's Oct. 20 remarks were widely condemned by historians and the New York Times finds it odd that he waited until Friday afternoon, when the controversy had almost completely died down, to clarify them. (Netanyahu's remarks caused Germany to issue a statement saying the Holocaust was indeed Hitler's fault.)