Gregor Maria Henke, the Bishop of Eichstatt, whose flock calls him the "bio-bishop" because of his concern for the environment, has added a new epigram to a series of German statements comparing the Israeli occupation to the deeds of the Nazis. During the course of a tour that began at Yad Vashem and ended up in the Palestinian Authority, the bishop experienced an illumination: "In the morning we saw inhuman pictures from the Warsaw Ghetto, and in the evening we are traveling to the Ramallah ghetto. It's enough to drive you crazy." Indeed.

Henke is not alone. According to new surveys, about one-third of the Germans do not see any fundamental difference between the deeds of Israel in the territories and those of the Nazis. Even public and media figures do not bother with fine distinctions. The context of the Israeli-Arab conflict does not interest them. Their historical memory is very short. At present there is a German interest, bordering on obsession, in condemning the crimes of the Israeli occupation. It is no wonder that Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is demonstrating a consistent moral backbone, was forced to confirm Germany's commitment to Israel's right to exist. "I regret that I have to repeat it again and again," she added. So do we, Madam Chancellor, so do we.

What should Israel do about this issue? Very little. Peace with the Palestinians is a national mission of the highest priority, but this has nothing to do with silencing the ugly voices from Europe. As opposed to reasonable criticism about Israel's policy in the territories, German and European anti-Israel sentiments erupt from deeper and darker sources. They will continue to bubble even when peace prevails here. Israelis should respond to such voices briefly, without hysteria, even with equanimity. Are we capable of that?

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In practice, just the opposite is the case. Israeli and Jewish protests flooded the press in Germany: The chair of Yad Vashem sent an angry protest letter to his red-robed guests; Israel's ambassador to Germany condemned the words with fatiguing skill; Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Central Council of German Jews, expressed anger and disappointment. In short, for the German reader, the burden of disproving the bishop's infuriating comparison is seen as a Jewish issue. Eine Judische Sache.

Joschka Fischer, alone and impressive, (once again) let the cat out of the bag: "Scandalous statements," he told Haaretz. "I was angry that no sharp condemnations were heard from Germany." And in fact, the German condemnations were few, some of them stemming from the speaker's official position. The head of the delegation of bishops, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, wrote to the chair of Yad Vashem that the visitors felt "strong inner tensions in light of the difficult situation. Their feeling was reflected in the harsh words they uttered, some of which were definitely inappropriate." And in general, there is a need to carry out "a profound assessment of the overall conditions, based on a balanced examination of the analogy, and a consideration of all its aspects."

Many Germans cluck their tongues in a politically correct philo-Semitic style that has taken root in the new Germany. Only few bother to say what any decent person should say: That the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is a tragedy, but the difference between it and the murder of the Jews of Europe is - how would Kant have put it? - categorical.

The bishops' visit to Ramallah did not do the Palestinians any good. It is difficult to imagine that an Israeli Jew will change his attitude toward the occupation as a result of the coarse exaggeration by the Bishop of Eichstatt. Even worse, the words of the bishops did not really touch on the Palestinian situation. The inhabitants of Ramallah are only incidental pawns in this story. This is actually a twisted German-Jewish dialogue being conducted above the heads of the Arabs: A false and self-righteous rejection of Nazi guilt by Christian Germans, with the argument that the children of the victims have turned into storm troopers.

The malignant accumulation of anti-Israel sentiment, which is being channeled into absurd comparisons between occupation and genocide, is cause for concern, but it would be preferable if those most concerned were the Germans. We are awaiting an appropriate response from the Catholic Church, from the German public and from its leaders. The historical burden is theirs. The obligation to cry out is theirs.