Lawmaker Urges Dutch to Apologize for WWII Jewish Deportations

Outspoken Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders called on the government Wednesday to apologize for the country's "passive" response to the mass deportations of Jews by Nazi occupiers during World War II.

The move is likely to re-ignite debate about Dutch attitudes to the wartime persecution of the country's Jewish population.

Of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands before the war, more than 100,000 were deported and murdered. About 30,000 Jews live here now, out of a total population of nearly 17 million.

Wilders is best known for his strident criticism of Islam and also is a strong supporter of Israel....