Abbas: Palestinians have right to defend themselves against Israel’s crimes

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against crimes committed by illegal settlers and the Israeli occupation army.

In a phone call with Turmus Ayya Mayor Lafi Deeb, Abbas offered his condolences following the murder of 25-year-old Palestinian Omar Qattin.

Palestinian Omar Qattin was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces as he confronted armed settlers who were attacking the village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank on 21 June 2023 [@ACT4PAL/Twitter]

He stressed that the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against the “crimes and attacks of settlers and the continuous brutality of the Israeli occupation army.”

This came following the massive attack on the Palestinian village by about 400 armed illegal Israeli settlers, who set homes and property on fire and attacked people, according to Al Jazeera, under the protection of the Israeli occupation army.

Abbas said that the residents of Turmus Ayya, many of whom hold US citizenship, are entitled to file lawsuits against the Israeli occupation army and settlers in US courts.

PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who was dispatched by Abbas to the village, said the attack on Turmus Ayya “reflects the mentality of arson and killing that rules Israel.”

Shtayyeh accused the Israeli occupation army of allowing the settlers to attack the village and said this was “a recipe for destruction for which everyone will pay the price.”

READ: PA sticks to Aqaba terms while Israel continues its crimes