Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Wednesday said that the conflicts in the Middle East are Israel's fault.
The official PA news agency Wafa quoted Abu Rudeineh as saying that "Israel's insistence on continuing the occupation of Palestinian lands and advancing settlement policy is the main reason for the continued violence in the region."
He further claimed that "Israel's conduct legitimizes acts of violence in the entire Middle East - and the statements made by the American ambassador raise the suspicion that he is also responsible for this. It is unclear whether he represents the United States or Israel.”
“Instead of Ambassador Friedman helping to create an atmosphere of peace, he works to create tension and provide excuses for these violent actions to which we are opposed," said Abu Rudeineh.
Abu Rudeineh opined that "the only way to bring an end to all acts of violence in the region and in the world is by solving the Palestinian problem."
It is unclear to which statement by Friedman he was referring, but the American ambassador this week condemned the PA and its conduct, following the terror attack in the city of Ariel, in which Rabbi Itamar Ben Gal was stabbed to death.
“20 years ago I gave an ambulance to Har Bracha hoping it would be used to deliver healthy babies. Instead, a man from Har Bracha was just murdered by a terrorist, leaving behind a wife and four children. Palestinian ‘leaders’ have praised the killer. Praying for the Ben Gal family,” the ambassador tweeted.
While the Wafa news agency reported about the Ariel attack, citing Israeli media, the report was not accompanied by any statement of condemnation of the attack from the PA or its representatives.
PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has regularly refused to condemn terrorist attacks against Israelis and, in fact, has been directly involved in inciting terror.
Rather than condemning deadly attacks against Israelis, he insists that attacks carried out by his own people against Israelis are the result of Palestinian “frustration”.
