Arab member of Knesset slams Abbas for his 'betrayal of the Palestinian people'

Arab MK Haneen Zoubi denounced Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas over his recent remarks regarding the abduction of Israeli settlers in Hebron.

In an interview with Israeli Channel 2 on Saturday, Zoubi said that Abbas’s policy of “security coordination with Israel” amounts to “betrayal of the Palestinian people.”

Zoubi refused to apologize for her statements on the settlers, saying: “There is an Israeli occupation which should be countered and ended. Those who kidnapped the soldiers are not terrorists, and I do not know them.” She added that she supports Palestinians’ struggle against occupation in accordance with international laws.

She pointed out that, rather than searching for the missing Israelis, the Israeli army is busy arresting more Palestinians and trying to destroy Hamas in the West Bank.

She lashed out at Israeli media for turning a blind eye to the killing of two Palestinians in the West Bank. “Is their blood less valuable than the blood of kidnapped [Israelis]?” she wondered.

She added that Netanyahu seeks to destroy Hamas, regardless of the kidnapping. “Every day that passes decreases chances of finding the kidnapped,” she stressed.