Federal President Steinmeier accused Palestinian President Abbas of blatant anti-Semitism. His recent comments about Jews were “profoundly anti-Semitic and pathetic.”
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly condemned an anti-Semitic speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “The statements are deeply anti-Semitic and pathetic,” Steinmeier said on the sidelines of the 19th informal summit of heads of German-speaking countries in Eupen, Belgium.
“I believe that President Abbas is not only marginalizing himself with these statements, but he is also damaging the cause of the Palestinians,” added the 67-year-old.
Steinmeier was referring to a speech Abbas gave to leading members of the Fatah party in late August. This sparked international criticism. Abbas said: “They say that Hitler killed the Jews because they were Jews and that Europe hated the Jews because they were Jews.” This is wrong. “The (Europeans) fought against these people because of their role in society, which had to do with usury, money and so on.”
Abbas is controversial among his own people
Abbas has long been considered controversial, even among his own people. Steinmeier said in Eupen that he noted Abbas’s comments “with some horror”. “We will combat any form of anti-Semitism, even if it is expressed in other parts of the world and even by Abbas,” he assured.
Harsh criticism also came from Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor. He accused Abbas of repeatedly making anti-Semitic statements – and called for decisive action in a statement: “Words are not enough – we must take tough action against incitement that begins with anti-Semitic books and ends with the routine murder of Jews.”
Palestinian artists and academics protest
Around 190 Palestinian academics, artists and activists have already opposed Abbas’ speech. “We strictly reject any attempt to trivialize, misrepresent or justify anti-Semitism, Nazi crimes against humanity or historical revisionism in relation to the Holocaust,” said an open letter published on Monday night. The signatories “unequivocally condemned the president’s morally and politically reprehensible statements.”
It is not the first time that Abbas has caused outrage with anti-Semitic statements. Back in 2018, he stated that the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis was not triggered by anti-Semitism, but because of their “social position”. He also caused a scandal last year when he accused Israel of multiple “holocausts” against the Palestinians at a press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.