Jason Greenblatt, the US Special Representative for International Negotiations, on Tuesday condemned the ongoing incitement against Israel by Palestinian Arab leaders.
In a series of tweets, Greenblatt linked to a video of comments by senior Hamas official Fathi Hammad, who in a speech last week urged Arabs across the world to “kill all the Jews”.
“When speaking about peace, we often hear slogans. But we need to deal in realities- here’s one reality. Watch this video. Please. Until this HATEFUL ideology is ERADICATED, this is one of the major challenges to achieving peace,” wrote Greenblatt.
“If we truly want peace we need to move away from slogans and learn more about the conflict and its many challenges. The Hamas official in this video says that they have to ATTACK, SLAUGHTER and KILL EVERY JEW on the planet and that they will never recognize Israel. How’s that for a slogan?” he added.
The Gaza-based terrorist group actually distanced itself from Hammad’s comments on Monday, claiming that its conflict is not with Jews or with Judaism but rather with “the Israeli occupation”.
Hammad, who in the past served as Hamas’ “interior minister”, was added by the US to its "global terrorist" list in 2016 and has a history of anti-Israel statements.
He recently said that the Palestinians will cleanse “Palestine” of the filth of the Zionist enemy and that they will stop only at martyrdom and victory. He then joined a chant of: "With our souls and blood we will redeem you, oh Al-Aqsa!"
In late 2017, shortly after US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Hammad warned the President that “Palestine will become your graveyard.”
Hammad has in the past vowed to annihilate the “brothers of apes and pigs”, meaning the Jews.