Abbas under fire for comments on Jews

Remarks by the Palestinian president about the causes of 20th century anti-semitism in Europe were sharply criticised as antisemitic and drew widespread condemnations from Israel and around the world yesterday.

In rambling remarks that were part of a lengthy speech to the Palestine Liberation Organisation parliament on Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was the Jews’ ‘‘social function,’’ including moneylending, that caused animosity toward them in Europe. He also portrayed the creation of Israel as a European colonial project, saying ‘‘history tells us there is no basis for the Jewish homeland’’.

The comments drew criticism that Abbas perpetuated antisemitic stereotypes and ignored the deep Jewish historical connections to the Holy Land.

The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial said in a statement that Abbas’ speech was ‘‘replete with antisemitic tropes and distortions of historical facts’’ and accused the Palestinian president of ‘‘blatantly falsifying history to the point of accusing the Jewish victims as being responsible for their own murder.’’

The UN’S special co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said in a statement that ‘‘leaders have an obligation to confront antisemitism everywhere and always, not perpetuate the conspiracy theories that fuel it.’’

‘‘Denying the historic and religious connection of the Jewish people to the land and their holy sites in Jerusalem stands in contrast to reality,’’ he said.

The US ambassador to Israel lashed out at Abbas over his remarks.

‘‘Abu Mazen has reached a new low,’’ Ambassador David Friedman tweeted, referring to Abbas by his nickname. ‘‘To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don’t have peace, think again.’’

The rhetoric reflects the escalating tensions between the Palestinians and the Trump administration. Ties have been strained since Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last year, prompting the Palestinians to suspend contacts with the administration.

Friedman and Abbas have sparred before.

In March, Abbas called Friedman a ‘‘son of a dog’’ in an angry rant.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abbas’ remarks were ‘‘the pinnacle of ignorance’’ and that the Palestinian leader was ‘‘again reciting the most disgraceful anti-semitic slogans.’’ –AP A crew of nine Puerto Ricans were flying an Air National Guard C-130 into retirement in Arizona when it crashed onto a highway in Georgia yesterday. Authorities said there were no survivors.

The plane crashed onto the state highway moments after taking off from the Savannah/ Hilton Head International Airport, narrowly missing people and sending an orange and black fireball into the sky.

‘‘It miraculously did not hit any cars, any homes,’’ Effingham County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gena Bilbo said. ‘‘This is a very busy roadway.’’

Eight hours after the crash, she added: ‘‘To our knowledge there are no survivors.’’

The huge plane’s fuselage appeared to have struck the median, and pieces of its wings were scattered across lanes in both directions. –AP