Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday offered an apology after he was criticized for anti-Semitism for a speech in which he argued that historic persecution of European Jews had been caused by their conduct, not by their religion.
Abbas said in his speech that Jews living in Europe had suffered massacres "every 10 to 15 years in some country since the 11th century and until the Holocaust."
Citing books written by various authors, Abbas said that "The Jewish question that was widespread throughout Europe was not against their religion, but against their social function, which relates to usury and banking and such."
He also characterized Zionism and the founding of the State of Israel as a European colonial project, saying, "History tells us there is no basis for the Jewish homeland."
Outraged by Abbas' sentiments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that "with utmost ignorance and brazen gall, he claimed that European Jews were persecuted and murdered not because they were Jews but because they gave loans with interest. Apparently, the Holocaust denier is still a Holocaust denier.
"I call on the international community to condemn Abbas' severe anti-Semitism; the time has come for it to pass from this world," the prime minister continued.
President Reuven Rivlin called Abbas' speech "horrible," saying, "How can a leader who voices primitive anti-Semitic ideas like these present himself as a 'partner for peace'?" Rivlin wondered. "You can't engage in dialogue with anti-Semites. There is no negotiation with anti-Semites."
In his apology Friday, Abbas condemned anti-Semitism and called the Holocaust the "most heinous crime in history" in a statement issued by his office in Ramallah after a four-day meeting of the Palestinian National Council.
The statement said: "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."
