Jerusalem – Palestinian president reached out to Israel on Thursday saying he opposes near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israelis and suggesting the violence would stop if the defunct peace process resumes again.
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Mahmoud Abbas made the remarks in an interview with Israeli Channel 2 TV’s “Uvda” program. Israel has accused him of failing to condemn the wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces that erupted in mid-September.
The attacks, mostly stabbings but also shootings and car-ramming assaults, have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans.
Over the same time, at least 188 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire. Israel says most were attackers, and the rest died in clashes with Israeli security forces.
Abbas said the violence stems from “lack of hope, lack of trust” in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict. The Palestinian president also said that if peace talks resume, it would “give my people hope and nobody would dare go and stab or shoot.”
U.S mediated Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.
In the interview, Abbas called on Netanyahu to meet with him “at any time.”
“I want to see peace in my life,” he said.
As for the current situation, he said the security cooperation between the Israeli military and Palestinian security forces continues and that if it were not for his forces, the violence would be much bloodier now. He added that Palestinian security forces have raided schools and confiscated knives from students and told them not to carry out attacks.
Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military demolished the home of a Palestinian man who fatally stabbed an Israeli civilian in the West Bank city of Hebron late last year.
The Palestinian, Ehab Maswada, stabbed the Israeli, Gennady Kaufman, outside a site holy to Jews and Muslims. Maswada was then shot and killed by officers at the scene.
Israel says home demolitions are an effective tool to deter attacks, but critics say the tactic amounts to collective punishment.
Israel blames the attacks on incitement by Palestinian leaders amplified on social media. Palestinians say the violence, often carried out by teenagers in apparent suicide missions, is rooted in frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli military occupation.
There are so many logical mistakes in Abbas’ message that it makes me wonder whether his IQ makes in into double digits.
1. Palestinians commit terror because they are bloodthirsty savages with an inborn hate for Israel and Jews. It is not Israel’s fault.
2. Teenagers are reacting to 5 decades of “occupation”? Really? They are teenagers, and have not been around that long.
3. The “peace process” never amounted to anything. Not because the outside forces (US, EU, UN, etc.) did not want it to happen. But because Abbas and the rest of his terrorist comrades never ever accept any term they consider a concession on their part. They have set their sight on taking over the entire Israel, even the pre-1967. But even if they had that (ch”v) they would never stop trying to kill Jews. Returning to the negotiating table is no problem for Israel. Abbas made preconditions, begged US to twist Israel’s arm on concessions (which Obama was more than happy to do), and then accepted nothing except for Israel surrendering all.
4. Israel gets blamed for retaliating, but terror is justified as their retaliation? Moral equivalence?
Mahmoud flip flop Abbas
Abbas wants peace but, together with Hamas, doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. The Palestinians are a made up people and as such have no legitimate claim to any portion of Israel. There will never be a two state solution as long as one state seeks the destruction of the other.
What are lying dog.he wants to see peace in his life only peace he will see is when they put him in the ground and they say may he rest in peace
Why was there no violence when that land was under jordanian supervision?Abu Mazen is nothing but a liar who wants to keep the spot lite on himself and keep shoveling in the money that’s supposed to go to the poverty stricken citizens.
China must have orchestrated this right after the Chinese vice premier met with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on Thursday, and with Netanyahu on Wednesday. The Chinese approach is dialogue, dialogue, and more dialogue.
He has in essence admitted that he can control the violence coming from his terrorist people.