Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today retracted yesterday's accusation that Israel committed 50 holocausts, clarifying that his intention was only to emphasize the "crimes" committed by Israel against Palestinians over the years.

The statement that Abbas made at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin drew criticism in Israel, the United States, Germany, and was also criticized by Scholz, who himself faced a barrage of criticism for remaining silent when he heard what Abbas had said.

After criticism, Abbas confirmed in a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency "Wafa" that the Holocaust is incomparably the most heinous crime in modern human history.

As it is emphasized, "the intention of his answer was not to deny the uniqueness of the Holocaust that happened in the last century and he condemns it in the strongest terms".

The statement added that when Abbas spoke of crimes, he was referring to the crimes and massacres committed by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people since the creation of Israel.

"Those crimes have not stopped until today", the statement concludes.

Abbas made the controversial statement in response to a journalist's question on the upcoming anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, when Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman.

Asked if he planned to apologize to Israel and Germany for the attack, Abbas responded by accusing Israel of crimes committed since 1947, using the term "holocaust."

"If you want to check the past, go ahead. I have 50 crimes committed by Israel... 50 massacres, 50 holocausts," Abbas said.