Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday accused the Palestinian Authority of anti-Semitism, saying a letter it sent the European Union was reminiscent of Nazi rhetoric.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Times of Israel, is hostile in tone, and includes harsh allegations against Israel. It makes no specific reference to Jews, and it is not clear which passages so incensed the foreign minister.
In a meeting with his Australian counterpart Bob Carr in Jerusalem, Liberman also blamed the Palestinians for obstructing the peace process and reiterated his view that no agreement with the Palestinians was possible as long as PA President Mahmoud Abbas was in power.
“In recent months, Israel has made an effort to improve the atmosphere with the Palestinians through a series of goodwill gestures,” the foreign minister said in a statement. Such steps included issuing permits to 5,000 Palestinians to work in Israel; advancing NIS 180 million ($45 million) to the PA in tax transfers ahead of Ramadan; approving an agreement between the Israel Electric Company and the Palestinian Energy Authority to build four electric power substations in the West Bank; and removing roadblocks in the area.
“The Palestinians’ response to these steps arrived on July 24, when they sent a slanderous letter to the European Union in which they falsely accused Israel of theft and exploitation of natural resources, the closing of the Gaza Strip, destruction of projects in Area C [in the Israel-controlled part of the West Bank], settler violence directed at the Palestinian population, building in the settlements and more,” Liberman added....