Abbas: Israel is trying to turn this into a religious conflict, which we absolutely reject
Official PA TV, broadcast of speech by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to a J Street delegation on Feb. 18, 2019, in Ramallah
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: "[Israel] is trying to turn the conflict into a religious conflict – in other words, between the Muslims and the Jews. Of course we absolutely reject this. Our conflict is not religious and we are not against the Jews. In our religion, the Islamic religion, if I differentiate between Moses and Muhammad I am a heretic. We fully honor the three monotheistic religions. We have already lived many years – hundreds and thousands of years – with each other as Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Ask the Christians among us how they live. Perhaps one of them is here – one of them is sitting here, an ambassador. Aside from this, we do not think there is any difference between a Muslim, Christian, and Jew. We have among us Samaritans (see note below –Ed.), and also Jews – we have a Jew on the [Fatah] Revolutionary Council; in other words, we have Jews in the Fatah leadership! And they were officially elected; they were not appointed. Nobody has priority over them. They were elected by Fatah's popular base."