TEL AVIV – Israel’s Science, Technology, and Space Minister Ofir Akunis on Saturday accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of being the worst inciter against Israel over the past six months of violence, the Times of Israel reported.
“The [Palestinian] Authority has embarked on an extreme campaign of incitement against Israel in its education system and the Palestinian media,” Akunis said.
“According to the Palestinians, all Israelis are apes and pigs who defile the land,” the Likud minister continued. “Not only does the Palestinian leader not condemn terror attacks, he encourages them and pays salaries to the families of the terrorists.”
Abbas refused to condemn Tuesday’s stabbing attack in Jaffa in which American tourist Taylor Force was killed.
After being rebuked by visiting Vice President Joe Biden, Abbas did offer condolences for Force’s murder, but blamed the attack on the Israeli occupation.
At least 29 Israelis and four foreigners have been killed in the ongoing wave of Palestinian car-ramming, shooting, and knife attacks against Israelis. Abbas refused to condemn a string of attacks that kicked off the terror in October, and according to the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, this was because any condemnation on his part would be “insufficient” for Israel.
A month before the outbreak of violence, Abbas accused Jews of “desecrating” the Temple Mount following clashes between police and Arab protesters.
“The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is ours as well. They have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty feet, we won’t allow them to do that,” said Abbas.