Abbas aide says he condemns deadly attack near Jerusalem
Spokesperson reiterated the Palestinian president's 'longstanding position' opposing violence
An aide for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said that Abbas opposed the slaying of three Israelis by a terrorist near Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Nabil Abu Rudeinah, Abbas’ chief of staff, told the Voice of Palestine radio station on Thursday of Abbas’ disapproval of the killing, when he was asked about the subject during an interview.
Rudeinah said that Abbas’ “longstanding position” is to “condemn all acts of violence, including this one, and all those who perpetrate them.”
Haaretz, the left-leaning Israeli daily, called this statement “an indirect condemnation by Abbas.” The right-leaning Israeli radio station Arutz 7 labeled the condemnation “faint.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged Abbas to condemn the attack.
Abbas rarely supports violence against Israelis explicitly. He occasionally issues direct condemnations of attacks, especially when they involve the slaying of civilians. The security forces loyal to Abbas cooperate regularly with Israeli counterparts to foil terrorist attacks.
However, media under Abbas’ control in the West Bank regularly lionises Palestinian murderers who killed Israelis and disseminates anti-Semitic propaganda and glorification of the murder of Israelis.
“The murderous attack” Tuesday, in which Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal, 37, shot and killed a Border Police officer and two Israeli security guards near the Israeli settlement of Har Adar, “Is a direct result of systematic incitement by the Palestinian Authority and others,” Netanyahu said. “I expect Abbas to condemn the attack and to not try to justify it.” Jamal, the father of four whose wife recently left him because he beat her, was killed by soldiers during the incident.
Separately, Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s envoy for promoting a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, visited Thursday three families of the Israelis whom Jamal killed.
“I visited with the loved ones of THREE families whose sons were murdered by a terrorist at Har Adar. Despicable. Please pray for them,” Greenblatt wrote on Twitter Thursday. “It has been a very difficult & sad evening.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
