Netanyahu and Lieberman condemn Abbas' condolence letter to Palestinian family

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman sharply criticised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after he expressed his condolences over the death of a Palestinian killed by Israeli police after he was accused of trying to kill Rabbi Yehuda Glick last week.

Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, said: “Netanyahu strongly condemns the condolence letter sent by Palestinian Authority President Abbas to the family of the man who attempted to assassinate Yehuda Glick.”

In a tweet quoting Netanyahu today, Gendelman wrote: “When we are trying to calm the situation, Abu Mazen [Abbas] sends condolences over the death of one who tried to perpetrate a reprehensible murder.”

“The time has come for the international community to condemn him for such actions,” Netanyahu added.

Abbas had sent a condolence letter to the family of Moataz Hijazi, a 32-year-old man living in Al-Thawri neighbourhood in East Jerusalem who was killed by Israeli police after being accused of trying to kill Rabbi Glick last Wednesday in West Jerusalem. Glick, an activist supporting the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, is said to have sustained serious injuries in the attack.

The Palestinian president expressed his “anger and condemnation at the news of the heinous crime committed by the gangs of killing and terrorism in the Israeli occupation army,” according to a written statement issued by the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs, a copy of which was sent to the Anadolu Agency.

“The president said, in a telegram sent by the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini on Sunday afternoon to the martyr’s family in Silwan, that Moataz will go to heaven as a martyr defending the rights of our people and its holy places. He also condemned this brutal act that is added to the many crimes committed by the occupation against our people since the Nakba and its continued historical injustice committed against the Palestinians.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned Abbas’ letter and wrote a post on Facebook saying: “This shows that Abu Mazen is a partner, a partner for terror, a partner for terrorists, and a partner for murder. This despicable letter by Abu Mazen openly supports terror and encourages further killings.”

Lieberman also added: “I call on the international community to condemn this man who is helping the Israel-Palestinian conflict disintegrate into the realm of threats and violence.”