Abbas: freedom of expression does not mean attacking religious symbols

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he believes in freedom of expression, but that this does not mean that religious symbols can be attacked. The PA chief was speaking in the wake of the republishing of offensive caricatures by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

“We support freedom of expression, but there are red lines and they are the religious and holy symbols,” Abbas told participants at the annual festival of Arminian Christians in Bethlehem. “We hope that this is not repeated.”

Adding that the Palestinians are forging ahead towards peace, Abbas insisted that there is no alternative to negotiations. “We are seeking a state through negotiations and we condemn terror because it leads to the killing of human beings and Allah has forbidden this. We do not believe in violence wherever it exists.”

The PA president congratulated the Armenian Christian community on its festival and said that he hopes the year ahead is safe for them all. “The Armenians are an integral part of the Palestinian people and I hope that the next holiday comes without the Israeli occupation and we can meet in the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem.”