Palestinian president calls US ambassador “son of a dog”
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has called the US ambassador to Israel a “son of a dog” for his support of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The US State Department has responded promptly.
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| Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a session of the United Nations Security Council in February 2018. Photo: Reuters |
The rare personal attacks were made by President Abbas during a meeting of Palestinian officials on March 19. Mr. Abbas accused US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman of trying to defend Israel's illegal actions in the West Bank by saying Tel Aviv "is building houses on their land."
"The son of a dog says Israel is building houses on Israeli land. He is a resettler, his house is also there and he is the US ambassador. What do we expect from him?", Mr. Abbas criticized.
Mr Abbas also blamed the militant group Hamas, holding it responsible for a bomb attack on Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah's convoy in the Gaza Strip last week. The Palestinian president stressed that the attack was the last straw in reconciliation efforts between the two groups that de facto control Palestine.
The US Ambassador to Israel - an insider - and the US State Department immediately spoke out.
Mr Friedman, a strong supporter of Israel's settlement program in the West Bank, was among those who welcomed US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last December.
Speaking at a conference on the fight against global anti-Semitism, Mr Friedman hit back at the Palestinian president's criticism. "He likened me to a dog's son. You want to be anti-Semitic? I don't judge, I leave it to you to judge."
The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, also immediately defended Friedman, calling the Palestinian leader's comments "unacceptable." He stressed that instead of "talking nonsense," Abbas should "focus on practical and concrete solutions to improve the quality of life of his people."
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one of the causes of tension between Israel and Palestine. While the United Nations and some countries have expressed concern and called on Tel Aviv to stop building new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, the US government has shown its support and given the green light for this.
