Settler assaults on Palestinians and their properties are being carried out
under the protection of the IDF, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
claimed on Friday.
Abbas, who was commenting on Thursday’s
fire-bomb
attack near Bethlehem in which six Palestinians were wounded, said the IDF could
prevent such assaults if it wanted.
Palestinians have accused settlers of
being behind the attack.
“These attacks are taking place under the eye of
the Israeli army, which is not doing anything to stop them,” Abbas told a local
radio station in Ramallah. “This proves that the racist policy continues to
plague the mentality of the army and the settlers.”
Abbas called on the
Israeli government and the US administration to work to “stop these barbaric and
despicable” attacks. Thursday’s attack against a Palestinian family was a
“despicable crime that is completely unacceptable,” he said.
Asked about
his plans to seek Palestinian membership in the UN next month, Abbas predicted
that the PA leadership would again come under heavy pressure to
backtrack.
“In the past, we had been subjected to pressure to prevent us
from going to the Security Council, but we didn’t care and went,” he said. “We
only care about the interests of our people and just cause.”
Abbas noted
there were various parties that did not want the Palestinians to gain membership
in the UN.
“Last time, we were unable to achieve the backing of enough
Security Council members,” Abbas said, referring to the botched
2011 statehood
bid at the UN. “But during the upcoming session [next month] we will apply for
the status of non-member state in the General Assembly and we have great
confidence that we will get the support of a big majority.”
Abbas pointed
out that 133 countries had already recognized the Palestinian state, while many
other countries had Palestinian representative offices on their soil.