Palestinian President Calls US Ambassador to Israel ‘Son of Dog'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched a verbal attack Monday against David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, calling him a "son of a dog" during a speech Abbas was giving in Ramallah.
"[The US administration] has said that settlement building is legitimate," Abbas began before going in with the shade. "That's what several American officials have said including, first and foremost, their ambassador in Tel Aviv David Friedman. He said [settlers] are building in their land. Son of a dog, they are building in their land? He is a settler and his family members are settlers."
The 82-year-old politician also said he was under pressure to travel to Washington, DC, and to approve of the policies of US President Donald Trump, who announced in December 2017 to general global uproar that the US would be moving its embassy to Jerusalem. It was later revealed that the embassy move is expected by this summer.
"What do you expect of such a government? I was pressured to travel to Washington to legitimize Trump's program, but I did not agree and would never agree to give up our principles or the rights of the Palestinian people," Abbas stated. "They made a conference about Gaza, but only now do they claim to recognize that Gazans are suffering and we've been talking for 11 years already."
"The US and Israel bear responsibility for the Hamas takeover of the Gaza strip," he added.
According to reports, Abbas' remarks were in response to comments Friedman had made via Twitter that criticized the Palestinian Authority for not condemning an attack in the West Bank that killed two Israeli soldiers and which suggested that settlements were a part of Israel.
While speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, Friedman responded to Abbas' statements by suggesting that they could be deemed anti-semitism.
"Is that anti-semitism or political discourse?" Friedman was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post. "I leave that up to you."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Abbas was starting to lose his marbles.
"Abu Mazen's assault on the US Ambassador David Friedman says it all," Netanyahu, using Abbas' nickname, said on Twitter. "For the first time in decades, the US administration has stopped pampering the Palestinian leaders and tells them: ‘enough is enough.' Apparently the shock of the truth has caused them to lose it."
The White House has also issued a statement calling Abbas' insults "highly inappropriate" and saying he "must chose hate or peace," according to AFP.
Relations between Palestine and the US have been on an "it's complicated" status ever since the White House officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinian leaders have long insisted that East Jerusalem must be the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
It's unclear how Abbas will respond to both Netanyahu and the Trump administration.
- Source : Sputnik
