Abbas’ advisor spreads conspiracy theory about Israel being a colonialist implant of Western governments in order to leave area’s residents “divided, backwards, and fighting among themselves”

Official PA TV, Friday sermon by Supreme Shari’ah Judge, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs, and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice Mahmoud Al-Habbash at a mosque in Ramallah

Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “How long will they continue to harm the nation, and it [remains] sunken in slumber? Neither the governments nor the peoples of the nation are doing a thing in order to change their reality. More than 100 years ago, a few leaders of the west met in London, in 1905, and discussed the status of Europe, colonialism, and the world (apparently refers to the 1907 Imperial Conference led by former British Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the minutes of which disprove the following claims of a conspiracy theory to undermine the Middle East –Ed.). Their conclusion was: Their civilization is about to fall. The culture of the West, the culture of wild capitalism, and the culture of aggression, imperialism, and colonialism, are about to fall. And the [inhabitants of the] area that would inherit its place was the [inhabitants of the] area south and east of the Mediterranean Sea thanks to its advantages of geographic unity, large natural resources, and a unified language and religion, 'and in order to prevent this area from leading the nations, we must leave this area and its residents divided, backwards, and fighting among themselves.’”