New York – The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) strongly condemned Mahmoud Abbas’ statement in Gaza yesterday labeling Israel as the “Zionist enemy.” (Abbas is the likely future President of the PA.) The term “Zionist enemy” is used by radical extremists and Arab terrorists who oppose Israel’s right to exist.
The Vice Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Ohlmert, blasted Abbas’ remarks as “intolerable, unacceptable and they cannot serve as the basis for any cooperation in the future.” Israel’s foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom added, “Abbas’ statements are dangerous and should not be overlooked…we are concerned with these very militant statements.” Rhonda Shore, a State Department spokeswoman said, “Abbas’ rhetoric has no place in the process of resuming dialogue and rebuilding trust.”
This latest Abbas diatribe against Israel comes on the heels of a series of appalling Abbas statements in the last few days including:
- “We will never forget the rights of the refugees…The day will come when the refugees return home (meaning Israel).”
- “We will not begin a crackdown against Palestinian militants…Palestinians taking up arms against each other will not happen.”
- “Israel calls these people murderers, we call them strugglers.”
ZOA President Morton A. Klein said, “We agree with the reactions of Ohlmert, Shalom and the State Department. Because of Abbas’ openly incendiary views, we believe that Israel should now reconsider the policy of negotiations with him and of giving-away the Jewish section of Gaza to a terrorist regime headed by this radical extremist who does not support Israel’s right to exist.
“It is a serious mistake to reward the continuing Palestinian Arab terrorism and their continuing incitement against Israel. If Israel moves forward with this withdrawal and the forcible removal of 10,000 innocent Israelis from their homes, it will clearly send a message that there is no price to be paid for the Palestinian Arabs intolerable actions and incitement.
“We also believe the US should reconsider our own support of Abbas, who was Arafat’s top deputy for 40 years, co-founder of Fatah, who wrote his Ph.D. thesis denying the Holocaust. Would the US ever support Saddam Hussein’s top deputy of 40 years to be the President of the new Iraq. Certainly not. And we should feel the same way about Abbas. He is simply Yasir Arafat in a suit.”