Abbas: US Senate holds PA responsible for incitement and has recommended freezing aid
Official PA TV broadcast a speech by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to the Arab League’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “Unfortunately, the US Senate has recommended freezing its aid to the Palestinian Authority. They have held me personally responsible for the recent violence against the Israelis (reference to Palestinian riots in Jerusalem and several terror attacks in which Israelis were killed, -Ed.). Likewise, the US ambassador to the UN [Samantha Power] has distributed a written statement calling on [UN] member states to reject Switzerland’s call to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Regarding this accusation, levelled at us by [US] Congress members, [the person] responsible for Israel’s homeland security [General Security Services Chief Yoram Cohen] has openly and clearly announced in the Israeli Parliament that the allegations are completely false, [confirming] that we have not incited against anyone, neither secretly nor in public. Despite the Senate’s directive on freezing [US] aid, we hope they won’t do it.”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “Unfortunately, the US Senate has recommended freezing its aid to the Palestinian Authority. They have held me personally responsible for the recent violence against the Israelis (reference to Palestinian riots in Jerusalem and several terror attacks in which Israelis were killed, -Ed.). Likewise, the US ambassador to the UN [Samantha Power] has distributed a written statement calling on [UN] member states to reject Switzerland’s call to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Regarding this accusation, levelled at us by [US] Congress members, [the person] responsible for Israel’s homeland security [General Security Services Chief Yoram Cohen] has openly and clearly announced in the Israeli Parliament that the allegations are completely false, [confirming] that we have not incited against anyone, neither secretly nor in public. Despite the Senate’s directive on freezing [US] aid, we hope they won’t do it.”