Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has offered an apology after he was criticized for anti-Semitism in a speech where he implied that historic persecution of European Jews had been prompted by their conduct, not by their religion.
"If people were offended by my statement in front of the PNC, especially people of the Jewish faith, I apologize to them. I would like to assure everyone that it was not my intention to do so, and to reiterate my full respect for the Jewish faith, as well as other monotheistic faiths," the Palestinian president said.
Mahmoud Abbas said he condemned the Holocaust and called it the "most heinous crime in history," in a statement published by his office in Ramallah after a meeting of the Palestinian National Council (PNC).
On April 30, Abbas stated that the Jews had been tortured and murdered in Europe for years because of their social behavior and connections to charging interest on loans rather than because of their nationality.
Also, the Palestinian leader expressed the view that Israel was a European project from the very beginning.
Source: Sputnik
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/mahmoud-abbas-apologies-for-his-comments-on-judaism/