Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says it was a "grave mistake" for Germany to allow so many migrants in, warning that it creates a "pressure group" in a country — just as Germany has seen pro-Hamas celebrations in the streets.
"It was a grave mistake to let in so many people of totally different culture and religion and concepts because it creates a pressure group inside each country that does that," the 100-year-old former U.S. diplomat said in an interview with Germany’s Welt TV.
Kissinger was born in Germany and fled Nazi Germany as a Jewish refugee with his family before becoming America’s top diplomat under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
He was responding to a question about scenes in Germany where Arab protesters in Berlin streets had, according to Welt, celebrated the recent Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel and handed out candy to participants.
"I don’t have a grievance against the German people. I find celebrations about what happened, which technically was a criminal act, as painful," he said.
Germany most recently took in significant numbers of migrants, including many from Muslim-majority countries, during the 2015 European migrant crisis — with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel declaring, "Wir schaffen das" or "We can do this." Kissinger did not specifically mention the 2015 crisis in his remarks.
Israel was hit by a surprise attack by Hamas terrorists on Saturday. At least 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed in the attack along with at least 27 Americans. At least 5,000 rockets have been fired into Israeli territory.
There have been scenes of pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian protests in multiple countries, including the U.S., United Kingdom and France. In the U.K., Home Secretary Suella Braverman recently issued guidance to British police chief constables to urge them to monitor such protests.
"At a time when Hamas terrorists are massacring civilians and taking the most vulnerable (including the elderly, women, and children) hostage, we can all recognise the harrowing effect that displays of their logos and flags can have on communities. I therefore ask that your police forces are alert and ready to respond to any potential offences," she wrote.
In New York City, supporters for Israel and the Palestinians gathered Monday, with protesters shouting at each other and police officers preventing confrontations.
"We're going to liberate Palestine," one protester told a group of Israel supporters. "We already liberated parts of it already. So get ready to get barbecued."
Kissinger told Welt that there must be "some penalty" and "some limitation" for Hamas, but he also warned about escalation in the region.
"The first instinct is to bring back peace, but you can't make concessions to people who have declared and demonstrated by their actions that there cannot be peace."
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
