Abbas calls for respecting all religions: Attacks on “Jewish synagogues or Christian churches are forbidden”
“The following is the text of the speech given by the President [Mahmoud Abbas] at a ceremony held yesterday [Dec. 7, 2014] in Ramallah, on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day:
'The Israeli government has raised [the issue of] the Jewishness of the state, and the government was divided [on this issue], and they agreed to hold elections. This is an internal matter, which has nothing to do with us, but we see that even within Israel there are those - such as the state’s president, MPs and military officers - who oppose what we oppose.
'These decisions, especially the one regarding the Jewish state, are decisions we will not accept under any circumstances. We oppose the Jewish state for many reasons, and oppose turning the conflict into a religious conflict between us and them, because if this does happen, it will never end. Ours is a political conflict between occupiers and occupied, and we respect all religions. The attacks against the Al-Aqsa Mosque are absolutely unacceptable, and we will not accept them. In addition, [attacks] against Jewish synagogues or Christian churches are [also] forbidden.'”
From WAFA, official PA news agency
'The Israeli government has raised [the issue of] the Jewishness of the state, and the government was divided [on this issue], and they agreed to hold elections. This is an internal matter, which has nothing to do with us, but we see that even within Israel there are those - such as the state’s president, MPs and military officers - who oppose what we oppose.
'These decisions, especially the one regarding the Jewish state, are decisions we will not accept under any circumstances. We oppose the Jewish state for many reasons, and oppose turning the conflict into a religious conflict between us and them, because if this does happen, it will never end. Ours is a political conflict between occupiers and occupied, and we respect all religions. The attacks against the Al-Aqsa Mosque are absolutely unacceptable, and we will not accept them. In addition, [attacks] against Jewish synagogues or Christian churches are [also] forbidden.'”
From WAFA, official PA news agency