TEL AVIV – Israel’s aid to the Palestinians in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is being met with “poisonous lies and inciting hatred” by the Palestinian leadership, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said in an oped published Wednesday on Fox news.
Danon notes the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group have accepted Israel’s assistance in combating the crisis, including testing kits, 200 tons of medical aid, and professional training.
Danon writes:
Under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority is fabricating a false narrative about Israel that has taken on anti-Semitic undertones. The authority falsely accuses Israel of deliberately obstructing Palestinian efforts to combat the virus – but the exact opposite is true.
He goes on to note that the PA has written official letters to the U.N. accusing Israel of smuggling Palestinian workers back into Palestinian-controlled territory via wastewater tunnels in order to avoid testing checkpoints, and with the hope of infecting others.
“In perhaps the most obscene defamation – akin to the infamously anti-Semitic blood libels – the Palestinian Authority accuses Israeli soldiers of deliberately spreading the virus among the Palestinian population,” Danon writes.
Danon charges the PA with being “far more interested in escalating its diplomatic warfare against Israel than in saving Palestinian lives in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Abbas and his colleagues are trying to change the conversation away from cooperation with Israel and into slandering.”
The U.N. envoy accused the PA of also accepting aid from the U.S., despite repeatedly denouncing President Donald Trump and snubbing his peace proposal.
The U.S. last week awarded the PA a $5 million grant to help them fight the deadly epidemic.
“The Palestinian Authority is going to have to choose between receiving assistance to fight the coronavirus and continuing to slander Israel with hate-filled propaganda and lies. It cannot have both,” he writes.
“[W]hile Israel extends an open hand of assistance to the Palestinians, our aid is accepted but greeted with clenched fists of rage and hatred.”
Of course, the Palestinian Authority’s evil incitements and lies leveled against Israel are nothing new. But during a global pandemic – as nations’ resources are being marshaled to defeating the virus – it is truly disgusting that Abbas and his corrupt leadership are focused on scoring cheap political points.
The Palestinian Authority wants to have its cake and eat it too. This outrageous behavior should not be tolerated, much less during a global pandemic.
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