Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi has responded to the speech by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last night in Ramallah by saying, "The poisonous speech reflects the Palestinian tragedy. Leaders like Yasser Arafat and, in recent years, Abu Mazen, unfortunately, blindly perpetuate the suffering and frustration of their people. It was a speech by a man who has ceased to lead and was led by anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and by the anxiety that renewing negotiations with Israel in the spirit of President Trump's initiative would force him to make difficult decisions."
Hanegbi concluded, "Israel's hand will always be extended to peace with all our neighbors, but we will probably have to wait until Abu Mazen leaves the stage and in his place stands a person who does not curse the United States and incite against Israel."