The Palestinians should cut off all ties with the United States because of “racist” and “ignorant” comments US Ambassador David Friedman made to The Jerusalem Post last week, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Saturday.
Friedman, a driving force behind US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the embassy there from Tel Aviv, told the Post that while the Palestinians’ angry reaction was expected, “We were disappointed with some of the rhetoric, which was ugly, needlessly provocative and antisemitic.”
“As we go forward,” he added, “this has to change.”
Barhoum said that Friedman’s statements reflected “the ambassador’s racism, ignorance and contempt for Palestinian rights and international law. He is affirming, in this policy, that they are partners to the occupation in all of its crimes against our people and its holy sites.”
According to the Hamas spokesman, the statements “are sufficient to justify an official Palestinian declaration of cutting ties with the American administration and ending Oslo.” He said the time has come to end the Oslo process, which, he said, “has led to the relinquishment of Palestinian rights and reinforcement of the Israeli occupation.”
The is not the first time that the Palestinians have lambasted Friedman. For instance, in September, the Palestinians were furious when Friedman said in another interview that the settlements are “only occupying 2% of the West Bank,” and that he sees the settlements as as part of Israel.
Nabil Shaath, a senior advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, called Friedman at the time “this alleged ambassador of the United States” and said he “has absolute ignorance of facts of law of the position of the United States.”
Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.
Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Government-says-it-will-push-Jewish-nation-state-bill-for-first-vote-soon-518338
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