Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called the US ambassador to Israel a “son of a dog” in an angry rant against the administration of US President Donald Trump, signaling new trouble ahead for an expected US peace proposal.
Abbas also took aim at the rival Hamas militant group, accusing it of being behind an attempted assassination last week of his prime minister and security chief, and threatening to retaliate.
In an address to Palestinian officials, Abbas pre-emptively rejected the White House peace proposal, which is still being developed.
Photo: AP
US officials have not said when it will be unveiled, but Abbas has already ruled it out, accusing the Trump administration of being unfairly biased in favor of Israel.
In his speech, Abbas criticized the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the US plan to move its embassy to the city and the cutoff of hundreds of millions of US dollars in aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
He also condemned US Ambassador David Friedman’s close ties with the West Bank settler movement, describing him as a “son of a dog.”
“Then they said: ‘Wait for our plan.’ What shall we wait for? We will not,” he said. “Many said: ‘Why don’t you go to Washington?’ They want us to go to Washington to sign. We will not accept that, and we will not let it pass.”
Friedman responded to the remarks at a conference on anti-Semitism in Jerusalem.
Abbas’ “response was to refer to me as a son of a dog. Anti-Semitism or political discourse? Not for me to judge. I leave that all up to you,” Friedman said.
“President Abbas’ comments were outrageous and unhelpful. We urge the Palestinian Authority to focus its efforts on improving the lives of the Palestinian people and advancing the cause of peace,” US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington.
Trump assistant and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt also responded sharply.
“The time has come for President Abbas to choose between hateful rhetoric, and concrete and practical efforts to improve the quality of life of his people and lead them to peace and prosperity,” he said.
“We are committed to the Palestinian people and to the changes that must be implemented for peaceful coexistence. We are finalizing our plan for peace and we will advance it when circumstances are right.”
Hamas in 2007 seized control of Gaza from Abbas’ forces, and attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed.
The US has been pushing for progress in reconciliation in the run-up to its peace proposal.
However, Abbas said he was furious over the bomb that targeted the convoy carrying his prime minister and security chief, which did not seriously injure anyone.
Abbas said he would take new punitive measures against Hamas.
“As president of the Palestinian people I’ve decided to take all national, legal and financial measures,” Abbas said, without elaborating.
He said his government will either take full responsibility for Gaza or abandon it to Hamas, a step that would in effect end the dream of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia