European Jews have no legitimate claim to a piece of land their distant ancestors abandoned millennia ago. Moreover, there is no doubt that a lot of intermarriage and conversion of non-Jews to Judaism certainly happened over those nearly 2000 years of absence. Not that that really matters, but Israel's defenders often make an appeal to "ancestral land" that is ridiculous. Israel is a colonial project that has subjugated the local population. All of that is really beyond dispute; by mixing his words with common anti-Semitic tropes, Abbas has muddied his message. But that hardly means that everything he has said is wrong. More important, it is time that the West stopped thinking of Jews only as "victims". The history of the Jewish people in the West is certainly that of victimhood; the history of Israel, by contrast, is that of an aggressive, colonial state that has brutally oppressed another people. Israel has hidden behind victimhood and Western states have allowed it to do so, even as it kills Palestinians and steals their land on a monumental scale. The distinct racial dimension of how the West deals with the Palestinians is something that we must acknowledge. The Israelis do things to the Palestinians that no other country would be allowed to get away with precisely because it can use its victimhood as a shield. But the powerful cannot be the victims of the weak. Finally, Netanyahu calling anyone out on racism is pure hypocrisy. His racism has been on display for years.
3
The Palestinians appear to be cursed with dreadful and unimaginative leaders. I wish they would immediately elect Hanan Ashrawi, who seems miles ahead of Abbas in her ability to think and speak both eloquently and pragmatically. It would be great if she got a chance to lead the Palestinians out of what has been called the "open air prison" in which they have been condemned to live--partly because of the bitterness and (here) the anti-semitism of men like Abbas, but--very importantly--partly because of the expansionist hard line policies of right wing Israeli governments like Netanyahu's.
1
The speech points to a larger problem regarding the lack of self-criticism or reflection within Palestinian society. An odious belief system has been carried by the prior generation through Arafat and now Abbas such that the Palestinians see Israel and Jews through a one-sided belief system. Reality allows Palestinians to criticize Israel where warranted but the belief system derogating Israel and not recognizing the other side has continued to prevent compromise since Oslo.
8
Maybe Jared will spank him and send him to his room before resolving the Israeli/Palestinian question tomorrow.....
4
Abbas has never been and never will be a man who is interested in the welfare of his people. He is interested in violence. His anti semitism is part of the problem.
12
By all rights there are only two events in all of human history the matter . . . In The Beginning, and the Holocaust. Everything else is just useless cosmic dust.
2
Saudi pay masters are cutting them off. Time for them to make a deal, or......
3
Anti-Zionism is to the Jewish people what anti-Nazism was and remains to the German people: a path of true liberation from oppression, militarism and racism.
3
Zionism is the belief in a Jewish homeland. Full stop. It became a belief in the re-establishment of the homeland on land in which Jews have the same historic rights as any indigenous people, and then some, because the UN helped establish their state. The fact that the modern Jewish State became militarized and racist is a complex conversation. Equating anti-Zionism and anti-Nazism is a clever, tricky way to introduce a false equivalency.
10
Maybe Abbas drew the wrong lesson from the pass that Farrakhan has once again received for his most recent public antisemitic, misogynistic and homophobic statements.
Perhaps Abbas' "history lesson" about the Jewish people was meant merely as a friendly shout out to Black Lives Matter leader tamika Mallory who is currently visiting Israel.
Intersectionality in action.
9
And yet the Palestine Liberation Organization was always so fond of Jews. This is shocking news indeed, like the other current front page story about a young person who was paid to have sex with an old person.
5
There's actually an article in the NY Times critical of a Palestinian leader's anti-Semitic comments centering around Holocaust denial?? For a brief moment I though I was reading the wrong paper.
21
Wow Abbas needs to hold a mirror to those words about Jews bringing the Holocaust on themselves. Some may say the same about Palestinians ... that they have brought the situation on themselves. Blame the victim much?
6
I am sure this comment won't be allowed. Here is a little historical tidbit that has been hidden for decades because it does not fit the narrative. Go into the archives of the Nazi government and the old German newspapers here is the sad, but true fact. Hitler running for Chancellor did receive campaign donations from Upper class Jewish citizens. Why, because they did not want anymore lower class Jewish immigration from the East. He promised to control immigration. Of course what happened to millions was a crime again humanity, but it is interesting how facts are left out to present a certain narrative. Also how the terrorist organizations were the Stern gang and other Jewish groups that killed British soldiers and the UN envoy Bernadette from Sweden. History is written by the victors and so it goes. Yes, the speech was bad, but interesting how Bibi sprouts and his Defense Minister who by the way is a convicted felon who can't enter the US sprout venom and it is ok. Make up fake files against Iran and it is never mentioned that Israel has at least 100 nuclear weapons. How the media has forgotten Venney who leaked that information and is now in prison for the rest of his life. Israel continues to steal land which will never be given back so lets put the narrative in a different light. By the way Israel does not allow inspection of its facilities. I wait for the wonderful plan from Kushner - heard it was delayed he lost the napkin it was written on. Jim Trautman
9
The words in question were disgustingly anti-Jewish, but they were not "anti-Semitic." Arabs are also Semitic.
4
Angela, while technically a misnomer given the historicity of the word anti-Semetic it may actually be most accurate to use the term to characterize Abbas'es words. Seeing as you are a person concerned with accuracy you may find it quite interesting to look up the history and context of the term anti-Semetism
6
There are plenty of Trump supporters that feel the same way as Abbas. You know, the "good people" that were on one of the sides.
3
As a pro-two state, pro-Palestinian rights activist for over 30 years who is also a pro-Israel Zionist, I am reminded: "And this is the so-called moderate Israel has to negotiate with?"
31
And this is the moderate Palestinian Israel was supposed to make a deal with.
Fortunately for Israel, Abbas foolishly (no surprise, that) like his predecessor, Arafat, refused to negotiate and his ship has long sailed.
Not that it will matter. Whoever comes after him will be no different.
22
"Palestinian Leader Incites Uproar With Speech Condemned as Anti-Semitic"
For once, a New York Times headline is almost correct on Israeli-Palestinian issues. The speech was not "Condemned as Anti-Semetic". It was condemned precisely because it *was* Anti-Semetic. The headline, as written, leaves this indisputable fact as disputable.
25
Most people are unaware that the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world opposed any two state solution back in 1948.
29
Nelson Mandela opposed a multi-state solution for South Africa. He argued that there should be majority rule.
Palestinians opposed a two-state deal in 1947 because they were the majority of the population and they wanted majority rule.
The Palestinian Authority and the PLO have compromised for peace and for years have offered a two-state peace where Israel gets 78% of the land. Israel refuses.
Time's Up for the Palestinians who are probably wishing they'd accepted one of the generous plans Israel had offered them previously, because the next offer isn't going to be even close to what came before. And for a stateless, friendless people who've been abandoned by their former Arab allies, where they are is a lonely place to be.
18
But wait, the Palestinian are peace-loving neighbours with their Israeli neighbours. The demonstrations were also peace loving. The slingshot throwing, tearing down the fence, and tire-burning by the West Bank people was all to show how much they just love their neighbours!
43
Yes, that's their version of "tough love". :-(
4
Who is condemning the speech as anti semitic? Just the usual suspects! Until we get a cross section of influential and powerful Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, an Muslim leaders berating such nonsense, we will always be at square one, and we will never see a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace with Israel!
12
More problems. They will continue to arise until people stop thinking and teaching that one person is better - or worse - than another because of their religion (or lack of it), race, gender (or lack of it), national origin, age, sexual orientation, inherited money (or lack of it), hair color, hair cut, size of hands (!), etc., etc.
6
This article notes that recent protests in the Gaza Strip have been "partly peaceful, partly violent." That is an unclear phrase and the New York Times should clarify this. If a home invasion is "partly peaceful, partly violent," my guess is the police would respond to the whole thing to stop the "party violent" part, especially if the intentions of the "partly peaceful" aspect included nefarious aims. The same rigor should be applied here - something that includes violence is inherently violent, not "partly violent."
39
"Israeli-held land" talk is hypocritical. American history is full of "Indian-held land" obtained through "purchases and lies. But we give American Indians "Reservations". American cannot condemn Israel for taking over land used as the launch site for weapons aimed at killing Jews, not Israelis, but Jews. Stop playing politics. Israel exists for the survival of the Jews and the enabling of a composite State. The ruth is that too many Arabs hate Jews and educate their children to do the same. When will the Arab States come in to sae the palestinians and take them in? Egypt won't. Jordan won't. Their governments' survival depends upon a "wall".
23
As the article says, Abbas has remained in power too long, and his statement that Jews controlled the economy and finances of Germany has been shown to be wrong by distinguished historians, including Henry Turner, Jr. and others. Most of the big banks in Weimar Germany were controlled by Protestants.
Nevertheless, it is unjust for the Times to denounce this old, embittered politician's words but to ignore Benyamin Nethanyahu's actions in pushing through a law that allows only him and the Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman initiate a war.
Once again, the Times's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is unbalanced. Of course, it is hard to present fair coverage of an emotional dispute, but the Times should try harder.
4
(Sigh). Is this ever gonna end? Put them in a no-holds-barred WWE wrestling match and get it over with. The winner can get a nice oversized gold belt.
3
Palestinians need to get in line with Israelis and just give up independence as a goal. They need to work like crazy and save and build within the constructs of the Jewish state, to improve their own lot against the will of Jewish Israelis and do it within the Jewish State's system. Given time they will get more of what they want out of life and become important enough to Israel to be listened to, especially if they become more financially able.
An analogy is to be had in the US, where vast numbers of working people are in a position like the Palestinians in Israel (not the military situation). The government pays them no heed whatsoever, they get tossed crumbs. Their ostensible representative, the Democrat Party, is a shill for the powers that be; Wall St, Big Pharma, Big Oil, & the military industrial complex. Still American working class peasantry muddles along, enjoying their struggle with their families and pursuing what they can, in relative peace (presuming you are not Black and interacting with cops).
Representation of the powerless has never been any good in any society ever. As Thucydides said over 2500 years ago is still true today: "The strong do as they wish, the weak do as they must." The mistake that needs to be avoided is to think one can change the course of mighty history and human nature without ownership of real power. Activism for social cause in the modern world, where more money is in the hands of the powerful than ever, is a hobby without hope.
3
For those who would condemn Palestinians based on the words of their leader, consider the words and actions of our leader. I do not want to be judged by the nonsense that trump spews on a daily basis. According to the article 68% of Palestinians want Abbas to step down. Sounds very familiar.
17
Except our leader is an outlier to our previous 44 Presidents. Abbas is one and the same with Arafat.
11
Actually, your correlation of the American public vs the Palestinian people could not be more inaccurate- Palestinians chose not only Abbas as its leader but two terrorist organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah, to do its bidding. Palestinians, almost unanimously, have been indoctrinated to think Israel is the source of all its problems, the Holocaust never happened and that Jews use the blood of Muslim babies to make matzoh. That is not an exaggeration.
9
In its long struggle for territorial sovereignty and recognition as a nation-state, Palestinian leadership has consistently chosen to forfeit the high moral ground over two issues:
1. Israel's right to exist. For a long, long time, Palestinian leadership refused to recognize this. I'm not sure that this has changed to this very day. Even if it has recognized Israel's right to exist, this recognition is effectively gutted by ...
2. The asserted "right of return." As I understand it, this would allow Palestinians to re-settle in the areas where they (or their predecessors) had settled pre-'48, including much (probably most) of present-day Israel. As far as I know, Palestinian leadership has never renounced this asserted right, even though anyone with half a brain knows that Israel rightly views this as an existential threat and would never, ever agree to it, whether Labor or Likud is in charge.
35
As an advocate of a just peace who has traveled to Israel and Palestine/West Bank, the speech was abhorrent to me. Yet, the majority of the comments made here are equally disturbing in their vilification of an entire people because of what their "leader" has said. Netanyahu has been no less bigotted against the Arab peoples, yet those who aspire to a just peace do not condemn Israelis. And, today, in the United States, we have our own "leader" spewing forth ... whatever it is he is spewing forth... promoting racist, bigoted attitudes inciting violence every step of the way. Are we, all Americans, now to be lumped together and characterized by Trump? Israeli and Palestinian peoples cannot go back to the decisions made that created the State of Israel, they can only move forward, but to do so requires a level of intellect and maturity that is lacking among their leadership.
10
But for the fact that every poll confirms that the Arabs in general, forget about only the subset called Palestinians, overwhelmingly agree with Abbas and his "history lesson" about the Jews, while the overwhelming number of Israelis and Americans quickly and publicly reject bigoted statements by Netanyahu and Trump, respectively, you might have had a point.
22
actually, Bebe has not been as bigoted against the Arab peoples. What are you possibly referring to? When confronted with vile racism, your response is....it could be worse?
Perhaps the world could expect the same level of maturity amongst the Palestinians as we do of all others?
3
I think the heart of the problem can be boiled down to one statement that Abbas made, the only statement that can be taken seriously or sympathetically:
"Israel, he said, grew out of a European colonial project..."
If you cut his rhetoric off there and ignore all of the other misinformed and hateful things he has said, you get to the reason why Israel and the West are such a thorn in the side to Palestine.
4
Many here keep harping on the fact that Arafat blundered by not accepting the Camp David peace plan in the year 2000. What they fail to mention is pursuant to failure of camp David talks, the negotiations continued at Sharm El Sheikh and Taba and an agreement was almost reached. But on 28th September, Ariel Sharon, along with over 1,000 Israeli police officers, entered the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary as he was bent upon scutting Barak's post-Camp David attempts to find a compromise on the future status of Jerusalem. That was when the peace talks broke down resulting in what is now called the second Intifada.
8
So does that mean that ARAFAT accepted the offer? Was Sharon banned from the Temple Mount? The fact remains that if Arafat had accepted the most generous offer in history, there would be a Palestinian state now. Stop trying to deflect blame.
9
The point us Ariel Sharon deliberately sabotagedo the talks.If he had not done that there would be a Palestinian state now.
The participants at Taba state that the Palestinians rejected any agreement. It is not true an agreement was almost reached.
1
Donald Trump is by far the greatest friend to Israel of any sitting president, ever.
And the closest we've ever had to having a Jewish president -
this is inarguable.
Yet most "progressive" American Jews have decided to WILLFULLY ignore that, in favor of partisan "resistance"
GOOD GRIEF!
14
There is nothing “partisan” about supporting the balance of powers, equal treatment under the law, ethics and transparance of conflicts of interest in the Whitehouse, nor due process. As well there is nothing “partisan” about opposing federal debt, environmental destruction, corruption, the evisceration of the State Department, protection of social security and Medicare, as well as proper funding of education and social services. The fact that I support Israel does not in any way mean that I give Trump a free pass, nor even a passing grade.
3
Nothing new here. Abbas has been declaring his anti-Semitism for decades, in just this manner.
The only thing new is Abbas's words appearing in the NYT.
Usually these screeds get filed under "anti-Zionism," so its OK.
Anyway, this kind of anti-Semitism doesn't happen here in the USA. Only racism against people of color.
It's not like the vice-chair of the DNC could be a Louis Farrakhan admirer and still serve.
But so what? This is all just "anti-Zionism."
Isn't it?
28
From a lifelong liberal democrat to the Jewish people: Oh, and what do we call the Jewish treatment of the Palestinians. Deeds are much more powerful than words.
2
Um, what one is left with when peace making fails?
Pretty much no one says that what exists is optimal. There's the unfortunate counterexample of what happened when Israel left Gaza....or what happens in Lebanon....or Syria....or Iraq....
Palestinian citizens of Israel are, well, full citizens. They attend universities, they vote, they travel at will. Palestinian non-citizens are, well, a people which continues to be at war with Israel. For many years they had relatively loose interactions. Then they decided to return to war....and now they have difficult interactions. So as a liberal democrat--what does one do with an enemy that refuses to make peace?
17
And what do we call the Arabs (yes, that was the term employed before the fictional "Palestinian' term. Just look at newspapers from 100 years ago) rejection of every single compromise from the Balfour declaration, which gave the Jews a tiny sliver of land until now. They have rejected every single compromise.
20
The problem is that Mr. Abbas' views are not unique. They're shocking to us, and considered taboo in Western society, but in the Middle East they are considered fairly normal. Many think the Holocaust was exaggerated, at least to some extent. Many think that the Jews, while certainly victims, were "asking" for it or "deserved" it. Most are not so extreme as to think all Jews should be killed, but they don't think Israel should exist, even though Jews have been occupying that land for thousands of years, long before the Arabs moved in and long before Islam and "Palestine" even existed.
It's kinda funny, actually. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists would probably enjoy living in the Middle East. Liberals, on the other hand, would be deeply uncomfortable and probably disgusted.
34
If Abbas thinks the Jews were responsible for what happened to themselves during the holocaust, does that mean the Palestinians are responsible for what is happening to themselves now?
28
Kudos to NYT for finally mentioning Abbas lunatic ramblings. About 50 years late but better late than never.
I think Abbas should have mentioned the biggest Jewish Zionist conspiracy of all. The same way the Mossad managed to get secret documents out of Iran, they have also managed to loot every single library in the entire world of the 5,000 year history of the Palestinian state of Palestine in order to deny anybody knowing anything about the Palestinian's 'ancient history'. I can't even find this history book an Amazon! They are truly amazing.
19
While Abbas and his hate filled lies are repulsive, with the leaders of Hamas calling for wiping Israel off the map, he’s clearly the lesser of two evils.
7
Once again, the Palestinian Leadership shows it’s true colors — and shoots itself in the foot. Why would anyone think Israel would have any inclination to make peace with the Palestinians?
And for those who think Abbas’s speech was disgusting, the fact that the Palestinians teach hatred of Jews to school children is even worse.
44
It is stunning that President Mahmoud Abbas the head of the Palestinian Authority believes that Jews were centrally responsible for their persecution and murder by the Nazis, and that Jews are a colonizing presence in their historic homeland. Indeed, Mr. Abbas fundamentally believes in a "Palestinian Right of Return" to lands that under the 1948 UN Partition Plan were designated as part of a Jewish State of Israel. Importantly, wholly unreported in this article, is the fact that these were not off-the-cuff remarks borne of recent decades of conflict. Mr. Abbas earned his degree, in part, by writing a thesis which makes these same ahistorical and vulgar statements.
When Israel's critics condemn Israel's inability to reach a lasting peace with Palestinians, they need to remember this is the man with whom they need to negotiate: someone who denies Israel's right to exist and believes that the extermination of Jews had a legitimate basis.
What is so frustrating as a reader of The New York Times, is that such an important article that illuminates a central reality of Israel's predicament is buried by the same paper that splashes every Palestinian protest on the top page of the website. No wonder people believe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be so one-sided.
57
There of course is no "historic homeland", Israel did not exist until 1948, under an unfair UN gift which gave Israeli Jews, only 33% of the population, over 55% of the land. Israel immediately stole more land, and brazenly occupied Jerusalem, an open city under the UN Mandate, until stopped by Jordan's Arab Legion under a British general. To listen to Israeli apologists you would think stopping Israel from stealing all of Jerusalem and ethnic cleansing Muslim and Christian Palestinians was the actual crime. There can be no negotiation with Israel as long was the IDF militia is not disarmed, back to Santayana, how did European Jewish negotiations go with the SS for a clue as to how negotiations with Israel would go. What is needed is the same remedy vs. colonial Nazis, all Israeli settlers expelled back into UN Israel, the same as all Nazi colonists were expelled back into Germany, and as with Germany and the Wehrmacht and the SS, the IDF needs to be disarmed and labeled a criminal organization. Note the Gazans do not demand Israel's armed killers go back 300 meters from the border.
If the Times spent more time on geopolitical issues and less time promoting the LGBTQ agenda, it would be a better newspaper.
4
Nakba? For younger readers, please know:
The so-called Nakba was self-imposed. The United Nations approved a partitioned Palestine in 1948. Israel agreed. The Arab nations did not, and five of them invaded Israel. They lost. Wars have consequences. Germany twice lost territory in eastern Europe, in 1918 and 1945, and has come to terms with it. It seems that in the minds of some folks, only the Jews cannot win a war and keep the benefits.
Time for the left, Corbynites and fellow travelers to admit their anti-Semitism.
Time for the Palestinians to recognize Israel and agree to terms.
Time for the Muslim world, from Libya to Syria to Afghanistan, to stop killing one another and blaming others for their ills.
47
Before all of that, isn't time for the Palestinians to even make peace with between themselves?
2
Oh, really?
The PLO blundered by not accepting Bill Clinton's peace plan in 2000. If Arafat had said yes, Palestine would be nearing its 20th anniversary as an independent state. Bill Clinton offered the Palestinians the best possible deal to help them. But instead they are going down the road of "return," which is only destructive to their own people. They would rather lose lives and have their people suffer in battle than set up peaceful coexistence with negotiated boundaries.
53
Correction: It was Ehud Barak's (Labor prime minister of Israel) peace plan endorsed by Bill Clinton. Instead, Arafat rejected it without precondition, launched the 2nd Intifada with its waves of suicide bombers that killed over 1000 Israeli civilians. It was this horrid experience that convinced the vast majority of Israelis save for a small minority of Leftist loons, that if this is what you get after a comprehensive peace offer including statehood, what would Israel get if just simply left the West Bank and Gaza? The answer to that question was answered after complete end to Israel's occupation of Gaza in 2005 with the Hamas terror group taking over two years later. This fact and the nature of the Palestinian leadership has been known by anyone with a sense of reality for the last 18 years. The fact that it took this long for the NY Times editorial board to figure it out, doesn't give me much confidence in any other nostrum it comes up with. Not to mention all the progressive leftists who buried their heads in the sand all these years as well.
8
“Palestinian leader shoots self in foot”, unfortunately a standing hed.
If the self-named “Palestinian” leaders would get their acts together, they might have: gained control of Jordan, a nation originally set aside for those displaced by the State of Israel and those who claim to be their descendants; made Gaza livable, by limiting its population to those families there before 1947, and gaining a portion of the Sinai Peninsula, returned to Egyptian control in the initial treaty over lands it lost in ‘67, and have fairly open borders with Israel, allowing people to work in one nation and live in another, in Gaza snd a portion of the West Bank.
But we’re talking about a group so divided it still uses the name imposed on the entire region, including Arab and Judaic lands by their Roman conquerers. And still looking for excuses to deny Israel the right to exist.
Not good diplomacy for people who moved to Syria and Jordan during/after the ‘47 partition, but evicted by those nations, supposedly their’s in part, because they created too much trouble for the governments established there.
(Kostler’s book, based on the 14th(?) century al-Kusari, is a work explaining the conversion of a small group on the Silk Road between the majority Islamic East and majority Christian West, mainly to create a buffer zone. At the time Jews lived fairly peacefully in the Islamic world of the Middle East, northern Africa and Spain - mainly in the former Israel and Judah.
14
The mind set of Abbas is the reason there is no peace between Israel and the Palestinians. His anti-Semitism is inconsistent with acceptance of an Israeli state, an acceptance which is required for a two state solution. Abbas is no different than Hamas or many Muslims in general who will never accept the legitimacy of Israel. Yet, this country has given the Palestinians billions of dollars. Obama and Kerry were trying to give them even more on the very day Trump was inaugurated but he got wind of the giveaway and stopped it. Israel has to face the reality that the other side has no interest in peace. Maybe the US will figure this out too. Maybe the Palestinians now throwing themselves at the barrier erected between Gaza and Israel, will be seen by the US for what it is: another misdirected propaganda ploy against Israel by people who have no desire to have peace. With the likes of Abbas and Iran can we be surprised by Israel's desire to defend itself and maybe see Its PM's disclosures as to Iran and its nuclear program as something other than the PM's attempt to stay in office.
36
In 2005 the US and Israel basically insisted that Mahmoud Abbas be placed in his present position as the apparently elected leader of the Palestinians. They did so primarily by collaborating with the Fatah party to compel Marwan Barghouti's withdrawal after it appeared likely Barghouti would win a vote. If I am not mistaken, the US (if not Israel) also insisted on the election going forward to assure Abbas' election though he was widely acknowledged to lack any popular following. I would point to this as irony, but he was chosen as figurehead for the Palestinians' very limited sovereignty because he was thought to be willing to agree to terms Israel and the US found acceptable and not because Palestinians wanted him to be their spokesman. His selection as the representative of the Palestinians' cause by those opposed to it was consistent with his peoples' history. The preceding golem turned very vicious indeed. Abbas often seems to have good intentions but has never had an opportunity to be much of a leader. Here, at least, he is doing something that those who chose him may find useful, though my impression is that he would rather help his own people. When he dies it may be difficult to find anyone remotely credible to stand in his present spot. It might be best to let them choose their own leader.
Horrible words from Abbas. Not acceptable and unforgivable especially coming from a leader. But that doesn't justify the current oppressive situation that the masses of Palestinians are going through. There has been a historical act of injustice and relentless oppression going on for a long time now. Anyone who doesn't see it is not being true to themselves and their humanity. My advice for both the Palestinians and the Israeli Jews is to elevate themselves above their ethnic and religious affiliations and cut through this blinding hatred. There are good, well-meaning people on both sides. Step up and speak up. (This is specially needed from the Israelis) . Injustice being committed against the Palestinians must end.
4
Abbas' overt antisemitism, in which he is supported by the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs and not a few of their Western apologists, may not "justify" the Palestinians' current situation, but it certainly goes a long way toward explaining their steadfast rejection of every offer to share this land. So let’s at least treat them as responsible adults and refer them to a Scriptural saying with which they might not be terribly familiar, “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
6
Well, that that, isn't it? Abbas was supposed to the "partner" in the peace process.
Where is BDS' condemnation of these remarks? Where is the Secretary General of the UN now?
Tomorrow, when Palestinian teenagers charge the fence, being egged on by manipulative terrorists who cower in the rear, what is the IDF supposed to do?
Mr. Abbas, you have added the misery of the Palestinian people and detracted from their cause. The best thing you can do is resign in shame.
Even Hamas does not deny the Holocaust. They want to continue it.
39
And while we're on the subject, Pope Francis described this demented loser as "an angel for peace." Will he admit he was wrong; certainly it's not included under papal infallibility. And what about Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter who carried this guy's water for years. Come to think of it, is this the NY Times' backhanded way of admitting it has been wrong all these years, while the Israeli Right and god-forbid Benjamin Netanyahu was right all along?
20
Well I am quick to call the Times out on biased articles against Israel so I have to give credit to an article that rightly calls out the Palestinians on their blatant and historical anti-semitism. But as Louie was "shocked just shocked to find gambling in that establishment" should we be so shocked to find the most virulent strain of old world antisemitism breeding in this defunct, ineffective and discredited organization. Once and for all will the world see that this is no partner for peace -that such a juvenile ill-formed entity has no place on the world stage and is not fit to run its own affairs. They would be lucky if they were absorbed by Jordan but Jordan doesnt want them. Alas, the one glimmer of hope here, and it is very hard to see, is that these old lunatic antisemites will soon fade away and be replaced by more modern and rational minds . . . but like Abbas' grasp on reality, the chances for that are very weak. Oh and by the way do you see the Orthodox priest sitting there, could he find somewhere else to be, really, the PA has his best interests in mind? Get a clue.
21
lets have fact checks on his speech
3
Can we have a fact check on the version of the speech being presented to us?
1
Abbas is and always has been a vile anti-Semite, not "anti- Israel," which is the usual rationalization for speech like this. The mystery is why so many in the world still expect Israel to negotiate with these bigots.
61
It is a depressing situation, isn't it?
One has to take a long view and a far-reaching strategy.
Why give up?
That's stupid.
If Israel, as the region's nuclear armed, self-assured, economically sound superpower, put forth a comprehensive two state plan, with buy in from other nations in and out of the region, which included final borders, land swaps, resolution of water issues and security arrangements (all issues that have been broached before) AND this all included give backs of West Bank land to show good faith…
Then, perhaps, at long last an end to the nagging scab that has been paining all sides.
Scabs heal.
This effort is not for today.
It's for the effects four generations from now. It's a tree that will give welcome shade in the future when we are all gone.
Like a park designed for enjoyment by our great grandchildren.
Today's rancor will be a distant memory.
Canards about Jews and Arabs which thrive in soil of current hatred will have little chance in an environment where 80 years of peace has shown each people that the other is a natural friend with whom cross border relations are the norm.
Peace that seems as natural as breathing has to start sometime. Now would be good.
And, peace is made between enemies.
It's hard.
It's supposed to be.
Plant that tree so an Israeli and Palestinian kid can sit in its shade later this century.
I think they'd get along fine and laugh at the nonsense their stodgy grandparents believed.
4
"Scabs heal."
What a load of baloney. But it's only natural for a kumbaya leftie who obviously didn't lose scores of relatives in the Holocaust to serve up Muslim apologist luncheon meat.
4
Where are all the posters who are normally on here every time Israel does anything? Hmmmmm? The silence speaks volumes.
42
Hey, Mahmoud Abbas, I understand 'fear and loathing' is very politically popular to the poor and religious and easy duped, but it's also the best way for societies and countries to destroy themselves.
I know; Republican extremists and demagogues have been using in America to destroy that country, and they've done a good job destroying the USA with fear and loathing.
But the nobler path is education, enlightenment, the 21st century and putting religion in a closet where it belongs.
“Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.”
--- Golda Meir
https://www.haaretz.com/golda-meir-s-gems-did-she-really-say-that-1.5371930
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This is why we Jews have our own country with the greatest army in the world.
54
You mean the American military?
Plenty of Americans are sick of paying to defend Israel, while Israel conveniently sits out all of the wars in their own neighborhood and lets America men do their fighting for them.
Iran v. Israel.
One has nuclear weapons, one does not.
Maybe a little leveling of the playing fields will be a good thing in helping bring peace to the region?
Israel will need to stand and exist on its own two feet one of these days at 70 years old. If it wants to be considered a democracy, it needs to start treating its citizens better, and work out a foreign policy that allows it to exist in that neighborhood without US military troops in surrounding countries to continually protect them.
2
People are shocked that a guy who wrote a thesis and book about Holocaust denial and connecting Zionism to the Nazis is ... GASP! .. an Anti-Semite. WAKE UP! Israel has been dealing with "Peace Partners" who want them dead any/or deny their right to have a Jewish homeland. This is not hard people. The Pal Leaders have not had anyone pressuring them to the table. For all his faults, at least President Trump calls a spade a spade on this issue.
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This is why Palestinian causes are dead in the water. Rather than focusing on what is in the best interest of Israelis and Palestinians in the future, all Abbas is spreading is hate and other nonsense about the Jews. Abbas is a Donald Trump but without the resources of United States.
25
Now that he's accused Jews of being money-lenders why not accuse Jews of killing Christ and drinking Gentile babies' blood? What has this ineffective so-called "leader" have to lose?
37
A necessary article; informative. Abbas has never moved on from his core anti-Semitic tropes, and there was more in his address not mentioned here. The first years after Hitler took over, he allowed some German Jews to emigrate to Palestine, but they had to leave all their worth in German banks, which then forwarded a small portion into a Palestinian/Jewish bank. Ditto for my husband's grandparents in 1934. The Nazi regime made a fortune thru this, as only the wealthier Jews got permission to emigrate into Mandated Palestine, while ridding themselves of some Jews, before genocidal policy became the sole means/objective. Abbas, in his biased interpretation, considers this historical episode to have been "collaboration" between the Zionists (Jewish owned banks in Palestine, such as Leumi) and the Nazis. The entire premise of his PhD is built on the alleged collaboration, and that the 6+million Holocaust victims is greatly exaggerated, all in order to garner the sympathy of the world for a Jewish state.
As to the Gaza border revolt, the uptick in violence isn't mentioned here. Israel has been extinguishing multiple, costly fires in adjacent fields and farmland, all started by kites with lit firebombs airborne over the fence from Gaza. In addition to serious breeches of the fence, which continues during the week, not only on Friday.
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Thank you Rosalie, for so succinctly exposing the flimsiness of Abbas' "Zionist-Nazi" conspiracy theory. I have also found, upon investigation, that the agenda of Jew-haters worldwide is based on a flimsy set of "facts", take for example the holocaust deniers- when you follow their so-called "evidence" the holocaust was a staged, fictitious hoax, it becomes clear it originates with an outright manipulation of truth, and a deliberate misinterpretation of historical events.
4
Thoughtless comments.
Hardened hearts and minds.
Violence and more to come.
Long memories and blame.
Yet…
Out of seeming ashes, voices of reason, hope and progess are the ones that stand apart. It's the counter view that attracts people's attention and offers a way out of a mess.
Like the belief among even the most conservative security experts in Israel that two states side by side is the only way forward for both peace and the preservation of Israel's security and national interest.
And, a long-sought national identity and sovereign state for Palestinians - a people who, naturally, like all people, want to simply live and prosper, to get on with normal, hopeful endeavors.
Both sides deserve an end to rancor and strife.
At long last.
I've met many Israelis and Palestinians.
Brilliant each. Affable, smart, industrious and surprisingly tolerant and accepting of the other.
Historical cousins - potential allies and partners.
The average person wants to believe in peace. The great middle of opinion on both sides is not as hardened as events would indicate. People don't want to hate with no end.
There will come a change.
Voices that will bridge and overcome the moment.
They will stand out.
The human urge to live in peace is strong.
4
Im in shock at your headline, “. . . in speech that many called anti-semitic.” What does it take for a headline that says, “in an a speach that WAS anti-semitic.” The speech was outrageously anti-Semitic, even by the most ardent pro-Palestinian, leftist standards.
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The rhetoric on both sides offers nothing to the discussion.
Israel has a right to exist in peace and defend itself and the Palestinians deserve a homeland as well. That requires a two state solution where both are working together for security and peace.
It will not occur while both of these ''leaders'' are in power, nor is there any chance with this current U.S. administration.
Everything is on hold for at least a few years.
11
Time doesn’t stop. Tomorrow there will be another violent rush at the Gaza fence. More will die, almost exclusively young Gaza males. When the town “ain’t big enough for both of us,” the weaker will be exterminated; there is no running from this fight, and it it not a duel to be held at some future dawn.
2
You're going to blame the current administration? What about Clinton's administration? Obama's?
There is one reason - and one reason only - the "Palestinians" do not have a state. THEY DON'T WANT ONE. When they say "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" they mean they want ALL of Israel. They will settle for nothing less.
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When the town “ain’t big enough for both of us,” the weaker will be exterminated; there is no running from this fight, and it it not a duel to be held at some future dawn.
------------------------------------------------
Who is the weaker party on the brink of extermination? Think demographics, and understand why poor Israel is so insecure about its future...
Bibi won't be satisfied until American bombers are flying over Tehran and American tanks are on the streets of Tehran. Lest people forget, Israel's defense forces have over 100 nuclear warheads cranked out by their nuclear bomb factory in the Negev desert.
15
And the Mullahs won't be satisfied until they can eliminate the Jews. Apparently the head of Palestinians feels the same way. Israel didn't pick this fight. Iran is 1000 MILES from the "occupied territories". Between their mideast enemies and their PC western lefty critics, thank God Israel has those nukes.
25
Good thing, too. Israel is surrounded by enemies who hate them because of their religion. Who's side are you on?
16
Max,
Israel has nukes?
You don't say...
Perhaps if they had abided by nuclear non-proliferation policies, we'd be living in a better world where their enemies did not need to defensively arm themselves to counter?
1
This exemplifies the basis of Israeli mistrust of the Palestinian leadership. Going back to the 1920s, antisemitism of the vilest form has been a staple of the Arabs in this region. The Mufti of Jerusalem was friends with Himmler and an SS General. How can any Israeli, even those who believe in 2 states, trust them? It looks like we will have to wait till the next generation for peace.
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Given the collective ignorance and gullibility permeating mankind today, it is no wonder this “Khazar theory” about Jewish people has taken off on the internet. The internet, where most people today receive their “true” education, is rife with anti-Semitism and provides endless fodder for the Jew-hater. One need not go to the dark web or a hate-website; the “Khazar theory” is enjoying a flourish of popularity and can be found in commentary throughout mainstream media such as YouTube and Facebook.
This particular maligning of Jewish people is exceptionally offensive. It is an opportunity for the Jew-hater to deny Jewish people their own identity, claiming that even their identities are a grand deception perpetrated and orchestrated by ancient Jewish leaders. It fits in nicely with their vision of the Jew as manipulator and deceptor; it further dehumanizes the Jewish people as an inferior race that has somehow hijacked the identity of “real” Jews. It posits the notion that “real” Jews no longer exist, another deeply offensive allegation. It is nauseating, right up there with Holocaust denial.
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And yet some of the foremost proponents of the “Khazar theory” are many (mostly elite type) American Jews themselves - consumed with guilt and self loathing, imaginary "white" "privilege", and an irrational hatred for our President regarding Israel.
What's fascinating is that is a complete reversal of the prevailing Jewish sentiment in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s - when Clinton's policy on Israel (and immigration) exactly mirrored those of Donald Trump.
2
Well put. And there is more of a chance of finding Martian fossils in Israel than of finding any evidence of ancient Palestinian history.
7
Eyes Wide Open, please point to these American Jews you speak of who are, "the foremost proponents of the “Khazar theory”. We'll wait for you to name names. I'll grow a beard waiting. Because as you well know, there are none. Just more anti-Semitic lies.
It is amazing that the Comment section is empty considering the vituperative anti-Israel screeds that appear anytime it is mentioned. No doubt those who deny their vituperative anti-Israel language is anti-Semitic are confused about what to do - since Israel is clearly the source of every single evil in the Mideast to them, a Palestinian leader saying the Jews brought on the Holocaust because of moneylending leaves them speechless.
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Yup, it's called "cognitive dissonance". Classic case.
6
I'm confused why, when the story calls the comments anti-Semitic in the first graph, the headline doesn't do the same thing, but instead uses attribution?
35
Yes, it's a subtle use of language; in this way, the author doesn't actually condemn Abbas as anti-semitic, and even leaves the question open as to whether the attribution is accurate.
24
How much evidence does the world need to conclude it is the Palestinians who perpetually derail any hope for peace?
We call them “Palestinians”, a loose term for a collection of Arabs that squatted upon the land of Canaan in the 19th and 20th centuries but the Palestinian as a singular nationality is incorrect; "Palestinians" are in fact of Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Turkish and probably Kurdish origins if their ancestry is traced back several generations. The name itself, "Palestine", is simply a British term denoting the region under British control during that time and stems from the Roman term “Syria Palaestina”, which originates with Herodotus’ The Histories. The region was formerly known as Judea. Thus, the identity of a Palestinian is itself a misnomer.
“Palestinians”, are wholly engaged in every aspect of Jew-hatred and diminishment of Jewish life, culture, autonomy and security. Their every action involves the maligning and denigration of Jewish people and the State of Israel. They are at the center of Holocaust denial and the collective BDS effort. Quite simply, if it’s bad for Jews then by deduction, according to their flawed logic, it must be good for Palestine. They have no real plan for peace. I will go further and say they do not want peace. They want to malign Jews. That’s what makes them tick. Just look at the Palestinian children television shows viewable on YouTube. They indoctrinate their newborns with hate from birth.
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So should they be killed or just removed from their homes? What if one of them is nice?
5
That’s just it. If some could actually try peaceful resistance, or indicate a willingness to live in peace, they might be welcome in Egypt or Jordan, or have some assistance in their present locations, were they to stop spending money on rockets and tunnels.
1
The NY Times editorial is a welcome if long long overdue statement from a Left masthead. I'm glad to see someone at the "Newspaper of Record" started taking reality pills recently. However, what is glaringly missing in the editorial and in this article is the fact that Abba's Jew-hating mania is not simply the delusions of a fading old terrorist who repackaged himself into the darling of progressives for years as the indispensable "partner for peace" bringing on encomiums of joy from the likes of Pope Francis, Barack Obama, and Jimmy Carter ... not to mention all the Jewish Leftist groups like J-Street et al.
The fact is that Abba's hate mania IS the mania of the Palestinians. His Jew-hating, Holocaust denying, Jewish history-denying rant is the core of Palestinian school curricula, the core of its media, the core of its propaganda. It is the core of what their young are brainwashed to believe from birth. And if just one free-thinking Palestinian professor such as Mohammed Dajani, from Al Quds University should even dare take school kids to Auschwitz to learn the truth, he is fired, shunned, prohibited from finding new work, and declared a traitor ... by a regime progressives have told themselves for years are the moderates.
The NYT also still needs to point out that Abbas and the Palestinians have rejected each and every proposal for peace ever offered from Israel no matter how generous. Saudi Prince Salman gets it. When will the NYT and the progressive Left get it?
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"from a Left masthead"
lol
Horrible words from Abbas. Horrible deeds from Netanyahu. A clear opportunity fir America to distance herself from both in favor of a clear headed pursuit of American interests. Obama showed us the way.
11
What has Netanyahu done that's horrible? Defend his citizens? That's the job of government.
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If you think his policies advance Israel’s long term interests then you and trump are in the same page. If you think his racist disrespect for obama, his agitation against Arab voters, his contempt for African immigrants and his two state refusal cut against Israel’s long term interests, and America’s, then you would agree with my original comment. Let them hate so long as they fear only carries you so far.
Netanyahu is a bigger liar than Trump. The third party in this triumvirate of mendacity is Putin.
7
And this has what to do with the article?
1
One denies the Holocaust just as surely and perfidiously by blaming its victims instead of its perpetrators as by claiming it never existed in the first place.
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Apart from being wrong, this is a huge political error by Abbas that destroys years of work by critics of Likud. Is he on Netanyahu's payroll?
7
Yes being an anti-Semite tends to be a political error -- at least it still is in some quarters. The truth hurts, doesn't it? Abbas was painted as the "moderate" only because he did not direct groups of terrorists like Arafat, Al Fatah and Hamas have. Perhaps he has also personally enriched himself to the millions of dollars of aid or directed it to terrorist activities as they did and still do.
12
Did it really take this long for the Times to realize what the Palestinians really want? It’s been in their charter for decades- the death of Jews because of their religion
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Perhaps is it because the NY Times supports the goals of PA Charter including the destruction of Israel? Or does it just seem that way most days? The headline for this story can't even call an anit-Semetic rant an anti-Semetic rant, but has to attribute that claim to others.
37
It did not take too long for Abbas to demonstrate the underlying hated of Jews that has for centuries been the primary reason Arabs refuse to make any serious attempt to live peacefully with Jews. Those fingering Israel as the sole impediment to peace really must open their eyes and ears and seriously consider the reality, and then determine how the modify behaviors of all stake holders to achieve resolution of this horrid problem.
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The British Empire took Palestine away from the Arabs, both Moslem and Christian, and gave it to Jews. That's why Israel exists. Without British military might Zionism would have failed. That's a historical truth.
12
It is the arabs who were the newcomers to the land. Jewish life in the land goes back 3500 years.
7
Nope, the British intended to divide Palestine between Arabs and Jews.
13
In 1948 the Brits left Mandatory Palestine and let Jews and Arabs fight it out. I don't think you actually know much of the history...
15
The true trouble with Israel is that they don't have a clean title to the land they were gifted.
The British had no mandate to give away Palestine, and likely would have lost that land like they did so many colonies when their rule ended.
If only wiser minds would have prevailed, and a portion of conquered Germany had been set aside as a homeland for the persecuted of all relgions, races and sexualities following WWII. That would have clearly been legal, whereas the displacement of thousands of Palestinian natives to make room for Europe's refugees was ... not.
Until the Middle East powers that be settle up and decide to live as neighbors in peace, the issue of the land in question will remain unsettled, no matter how many people modern-day Israel pays to put down "roots" in the land of questionable title.
Remember: the world is rejecting religious states, no matter the religion. As more and more "free thinkers" gain voice, it's not just the roots of Christianity that will be questioned. More and more, people will ask if "God" -- or the Brits -- really had the power or the ability to gift the land in question to Israel.
No wonder the US under the liberal Democrats was so eager to overthrow the governments of all of Israel's enemies in neighboring countries. Chaos is not the answer to helping the Jewish people live with peaceable neighbors either. Eventually, you have to stop running and look within to ask: "How can I live in peace with others?"
Love your neighbor
17
The Jews are a people who had no state for nearly 2000 years. Just as Palestinians should have a state, so should the Jews. And Israelis have been born in Israel now for 3 generations. If next year the United States were returned to the original residents— Iroquois, Cherokee, Apache, Navajo, etc., WHERE would you go? Few European countries recognize descendants of those who emigrated as dual citizens. Israelis have a right to Israel. Palestinians need their own state with a secure border with Israel, no more rocket attacks from within their borders. And they need responsible leadership that accept Israel.
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I don't think you appreciate how profoundly anti-semitic your statement is. Like Abbas blaming Jews for the Holocaust, you seem to blaming the Jewish people for the refusal of their neighbors to live in peace with them. In it's peace treaty with Egypt (and a like one with Jordan),she's demonstrated the desire to live in peace with her neighbors, but the people of these countries, including its "intellectuals" are as profoundly Jew-hating as ever.
BTW, Israel's title to the land is clean and clear and goes back 3000 years. And Jew-ness and Judaism are more than a mere religion, the are a culture and an history.
33
Your well-intended comment starts with a very faulty premise: "The true trouble with Israel is that they don't have a clean title to the land they were gifted." It was not a "gift." The Ottomans were defeated. The British oversaw that territory as well as portions of the fallen empire along with France. Did all the Arabs who lived in that territory have "deeds" to the parts of the "Holy Land" on which they were settled? Some land had even been purchased from individual Arabs before (and after) WWI by Jews who wished to live in the land of their ancestry. Did the Hashemites purchase "deeds" or win "elections" before they were installed as monarchs in "Trans-Jordan"? Did the British, Spanish and Portuguese obtain "clean title" from the indigenous peoples of the Americas? The Arab-Israeli conflict has nothing to do with "clean title." It has a lot to do with the rest of the world being unable to wrap its collective minds around the fact that the Jews are a "people" (who after 2000 years got back some of their Judean homeland which they lost to the Romans) with a particular religion ("Judaism") which has evolved in many ways over the course of those 20 centuries. Now that they have reestablished themselves in that land, they have a sovereign nation once again which they decided to name "Israel" partly because it was more inclusive name than reusing "Judea."
26
Nathan Thrall chimes in with his usual anti semitism with an intellectual bias, Abbas words are not because he failed to bring about a Palestinian State but because he failed to destroy Israel which was his project all along. The NYTIMES with its apologies for fascism and racism at its worst
24
This speech vividly illustrates the true colors of Abbas, the Palestinians, and many around the world who support their cause.
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"Palestinian Leader Incites Uproar With Speech Condemned as Anti-Semitic."
No, the title's article should be: "Palestinian Leader's Anti-Semitic speech Incites Uproar." "Condemned as Anti-Semitic" suggests there's possible ambiguity in interpretation as to whether the speech was anti-semitic.
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Ah, I believe you have found the truth behind the headline. I can almost see the headline writer smiling and thinking "This will really get to them." And it has.
1
Palestine belongs to its indigenous people not the mid-late 20th century European foreigner/colonists.
In a 2002 interview with The New Statesman, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw observed "A lot of the problems we are having to deal with now, I have to deal with now, are a consequence of our colonial past. ... The Balfour Declaration and the contradictory assurances which were being given to Palestinians in private (a year prior to Balfour) makes an interesting history for us but not an entirely honourable one."
Many of the relevant documents in the National Archives were later declassified & published. Among them were various assurances of Arab independence provided by Secretary of War, Lord Kitchener, the Viceroy of India & others in the War Cabinet. According to the minutes Lord Curzon explained: "The Palestine position is this. If we deal with our commitments, there is first the general pledge to Hussein in October 1915, under which Palestine was included in the areas as to which Great Britain pledged itself that they should be Arab and independent in the future .
Balfour was a payoff to the Zionists to get the USA to join WW1. Britain was broke & out of troops.
So I guess that justifies anti-semitism by their addled leader?
He has done since his presidency of PA more damage to his own people , and by that he actually had adopted Arafat's strategy ever since
7
This is old news. The Palestinians teach their children that Jews are less than human, and should be defeated and expelled from land that Palestinians claim is all theirs. And they have been doing so for a long, long time. As long as Hamas calls the shots in Gaza, nothing will change. Israel's restraint in responding to this hatred is admirable. But restraint always has its limits.
34
The Palestinians teach their children that Jews are less than human, and should be defeated and expelled from land that Palestinians claim is all theirs.
--------------------------------------------
And the extremist Jewish parents preach the same.
An eye for an eye leaves one blinded to the truth.
The Palestinians could have "liberated" themselves, to use Mr. Shtayyeh's term, long ago had they accepted Israel. Yes, Arafat signed a piece of paper. But the overwhelming majority of Palestinians continue to reject the idea that the Jews have the right to live in their historical homeland. Had they cleared away that poisonous underbrush, they would have made it impossible for any Israeli government to refuse to turn over authority in the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, the prospect of an eternal piece with a peaceful neighbor would have been welcomed by the vast majority of Israelis - and the region would have boomed.
Instead, the only booms come from rockets and cannon fire. Israel deserves its share of blame but the Palestinians, nursing grievance and deep hatred, have stupidly made peace impossible.
28
It’s not as if Abbas hasn’t made these types of antisemitic statements before (anyone remember his comment about Jews with their "filthy feet" desecrating the Temole Mount or that there was never a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem or that Jews have no historical connection to the land which is why Zionism is a colonialist enterprise, among many others?). The only difference is that this time he displayed his antisemitism in a venue where the Western audience could no longer ignore it.
And Abbas is described consistently as a “moderate” - which is actually all you need to know about why the Palestinian Arabs have no state, let alone the civil infrastructure in place that might insure its success.
Abbas has revealed what any careful observer already knew: this conflict was never about borders but about Arab refusal to acknowledge the rights and history of the Jewish people to their millennial-Old homeland.
39