Overview
- Peru’s interim president, José María Balcázar, told a business audience that Jews helped push Germany into World War II and controlled banks and commerce, citing Antonio Escohotado’s book trilogy.
- The German and Israeli embassies issued a joint statement calling the remarks antisemitic and historically false and urged him to retract them.
- Peru’s presidential office said Balcázar regretted creating a misleading perception, described his comments as a bibliographic reference, and restated the state’s rejection of Nazism and antisemitism.
- Leaders of Peru’s Jewish community and opposition politicians demanded a direct apology and a full withdrawal of the claims, with other foreign diplomats echoing the call.
- The statements repeat long‑discredited tropes that historians reject, noting Nazi ideology led to the war and the Holocaust, while Balcázar continues as interim leader until July 28.