Abbas repeats debunked claim that rabbis called to poison Palestinian water

[shira]

Not only did the "moderate" Abbas go medieval antisemitic blood-libeling against Jews, the EU gave him a standing ovation for it.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accused Israeli rabbis of calling for the poisoning of Palestinian water, in what appeared to be an invocation of a widely debunked media report that recalled a medieval anti-Semitic libel.

Abbas's remarks did not appear on the official transcript issued by his office, suggesting he may have spoken off the cuff as he condemned Israeli actions against Palestinians amid stalled peace talks.

"Only a week ago, a number of rabbis in Israel announced, and made a clear announcement, demanding that their government poison the water to kill the Palestinians," Abbas said.

"Isn't that clear incitement to commit mass killings against the Palestinian people?"

Abbas, who received a standing ovation from EU lawmakers after his speech, gave no source for his information -- and there has been no evidence over the past week of any call by Israeli rabbis to poison Palestinian water.

http://www.france24.com/en/20160623-haaretz-abbas-repeats-debunked-claim-rabbis-called-poison-palestinian-water?ns_campaign=reseaux_sociaux&ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=social&ns_linkname=editorial&aef_campaign_ref=partage_user&aef_campaign_date=2016-06-23



It gets better. In the very same speech, the "moderate" Abbas resorted to extortion...

Abbas: Stop global terrorism by ending the 'Israeli occupation of Palestine'
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Abbas-Stop-global-terrorism-by-ending-the-Israeli-occupation-of-Palestine-457549

[Little Tich]

1. Abbas should stop regurgitating old anti-Semitic memes.

While he's not even close to the level of incitement that comes from the Israeli government, it's still too much.

[shira]

2. Holocaust deniers like Abbas do Jew hating memes all the time. What do you....

....think about the EU giving him a standing ovation afterwards?

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Agree on both counts....

This article is really good and discusses the incitement on both sides of the conflict...

And indeed there is no shortage of incendiary remarks or racist statements emanating from Israeli elites. Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett has advised Israelis that if they “catch terrorists, you have to simply kill them. I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that”. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has warned “behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism… They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads…They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there”. The late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party, similarly asked “how can you make peace with an [Arab] snake? Those evildoers, the Arabs — it says in the Gemara [Talmud] that God is sorry he ever created those sons of Ishmael”.

Israel’s political rhetoric has fanned (or reflected) what one Israeli journalist recently described as a combination of public incitement, rabbinical edicts, Facebook insults, chants by some sections of supporters of the Beitar Jerusalem football team, and prevalent anti-Arab sentiment. At the same time, the Israeli government is reported to have funded various right-wing movements seeking to alter the status quo on the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif, as well as non-profits promoting price-tag attacks against Palestinians. The recent execution of an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron by an IDF soldier and immolation of a Palestinian family in Duma are but two of the inevitable manifestations of these dynamics. Incitement it would seem, is a two-way street in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_why_incitement_runs_both_ways_in_israel_palestine_6087

[Little Tich]

4. Yes, I agree with the ECFR article to a great degree.

Fortunately, while the Israeli and Palestinian leaders represent their people, they're not representative of them.

It's really disappointing to hear Abbas say those things, and it only confirms my belief that he's not the right leader for his people. That the current Israeli leadership isn't good for Israel is a given. However, it doesn't take away the fact that both Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal rights, prosperity and peace.

I'm bookmarking www.ecfr.eu

[shira]

8. Abbas is a Holocaust Denier who has been inciting against Jews for years...

Praising and rewarding terrorists for murdering Jews.

It's about time you realized that.

OTOH, you mention Israel's leadership isn't good. Okay that's fine, but name an Israeli leadership that has been good for Israel since 1948. It's my belief that this isn't about Netanyahu to you, it's about all Israeli leadership from the start. Prove me wrong.

[Little Tich]

10. Rabin and Olmert.

Both could have achieved a two-state solution, which is the main issue here. Both were perhaps not ideal leaders, but they were close to achieving a two-state solution, which could have ushered Israel into the post-occupation era.

[shira]

11. Then you should support Olmert's offer 2008, not make excuses for rejecting it. n/t

[shira]

7. Abbas incites regularly against Jews. The Israeli leaders mentioned in that article...

....aimed their "incitement" at terrorists. Big difference there.

[Violet_Crumble]

15. Those Israeli leaders are talking about arabs

To anyone who Is fond of the Arab = terrorist broad brush I could see how they could defend the hatemongers mentioned as well as defend their incitement. The ADL has in the past spoken out against the incitement of one of them, the other two have been rightly condemned for their incitement by left wing Israeli politicians.

I've got no patience for those who complain about incitement from one side only and try to justify it from the side they support. All incitement and hatred should be categorically condemned, imo

[Little Tich]

5. Abbas retracts charge that rabbis called to poison Palestinian water

Source: Jerusalem Post

PLO issues statement of retraction after the PA president made the unsubstantiated charge in an address Thursday to the European Parliament.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday morning retracted accusations that Israeli rabbis had called for the poisoning of Palestinian wells.

The PA president had made the unsubstantiated charge in an address Thursday to the European Parliament, prompting harsh condemnation from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Abbas of propagating blood libel, referring to anti-Semitic allegations against Jews that arose in the Middle Ages.

The retraction, which was issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Abbas chairs, said Abbas “rejected all claims that accuse him and the Palestinian people of offending the Jewish religion.”


“After it has become evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, which were reported by various media outlets, are baseless, President Mahmoud Abbas has affirmed that he didn’t intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world,” the statement read.

Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-retracts-charge-that-rabbis-called-for-poisoning-Palestinian-water-457690

[shira]

6. EU lawmakers applauded Abbas' incitement. What do you think about that? n/t

[Little Tich]

9. They were probably applauding the leader of the Palestinians pushing the two-state solution.

A speech can sometimes give a different impression when first heard than when it's dissected later. And it was probably not obvious for most listeners that Abbas was promoting an anti-Semitic lie...

[shira]

12. No, they're racists as evidenced by fact they haven't condemned Abbas...

Last edited Mon Jun 27, 2016, 06:54 AM - Edit history (2)

30 seconds of standing ovation, applause.

Not one word of condemnation.

Same Europe, same as the old Europe. It would help if you stopped automatically coming to the defense of racists.

[shira]

14. See #13 below. That rat's nest called Mondoweiss which you adore is defending Abbas....

I wonder what it would take for you to acknowledge Mondoweiss is a hate site?

[shira]

17. A week later, no condemnation by EU parliament. This doesn't bother you at all? n/t

[Little Tich]

18. Why would the EU condemn a retracted statement?

It's not one of those "yes, but..." retractions like Netanyahu and Livingstone made. End of story.

[shira]

19. Because they applauded it originally. Guess you don't have a problem at all.

Last edited Sat Jul 2, 2016, 10:21 PM - Edit history (1)

Now imagine Netanyahu maliciously incited against Arabs and was applauded by it.

And then imagine he "apologized", but no leaders called him out for incitement.

Yeah...

No big deal - he apologized, right?

[shira]

13. And of course, here's Mondoweiss to defend Abbas & EU lawmakers who applauded his hatred...

http://mondoweiss.net/2016/06/accusations-against-amplify/

Abbas didn't really know what he was doing, even though he incites hate with libels all the time. As to the EU lawmakers who applauded him & have never condemned the incitement.....whatever.

I have never seen a definition of anti-Semitism (or any other bigotry) that holds that the person is exonerated if he believes his claims. Nobody just says “I think I’ll repeat a 700-year-old blood libel because I’m anti-Semitic.” Anti-Semitic claims sound bogus to a normal person but plausible to an anti-Semite. The anti-Semite is the one who reads that the Talmud says blah blah blah without wondering whether it is true or not. He believes it immediately, and he can’t wait to share his new knowledge. - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2016/06/accusations-against-amplify/#sthash.XCl42z4D.dpuf

A little sanity in the comments section. I'm sure that poster will be pilloried soon by the Jew hating hordes there...

[shira]

16. President of European Parliament tweets support of Abbas' antisemitic speech...

Inspiring address by Pres. #Abbas to #EPlenary - #EU supports aspiration by large majority of #Palestinians for peace and reconciliation
https://twitter.com/ep_president/status/745932784775102464

[shira]

20. WATCH: EU Ambassador to Israel will not condemn Abbas' incitement....

....nor apologize for EU standing ovation for Abbas afterwards.