Lieberman Slams Abbas' Speech: It is Incitement

Foreign Minister Avigddor Lieberman slammed on Friday the speech by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the United Nations and labeled it an incitement.
Lieberman, who walked out as an act of protest during Abbas’ speech, told Israel’s Channel 10 News, “Abbas’ speech was one of most difficult incitement. I’ve never heard such a speech from him before.”
“It was an appeal to the darkest side,” added Lieberman. “He said Israel is deliberately digging underneath holy Arab places, he said that ‘price tag’ groups are sponsored by the IDF, he said the IDF sics dogs on Palestinians. He spoke of Arafat’s ethos and said that all the prisoners are political prisoners. Looks like the murderers of the Fogel family are also political prisoners.”
When asked whether there is a chance of a future return to negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Lieberman replied. “I guess they have made a strategic decision not to negotiate. Since this government was established, we’ve offered to sit down for negotiations. It was a difficult decision for us to stop building in Judea and Samaria for ten months, but after this speech is clear that the Palestinians have no intention of returning to negotiations.”
Other senior political officials also slammed Abbas’ speech, telling Channel 10 they were sorry that the PA Chairman used his visit to New York to attack Israel instead of meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“We heard nothing but propaganda in this speech,” the officials said.
In his speech, Abbas said he holds the Israeli government responsible for the expansionist movement of the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, saying that this will destroy chances of peace. He blamed Israel for shattering every peace initiative and claimed that Israel has been occupying ‘Palestinian’ territories for 63 years.
He confirmed that he is submitting an application for a sovereign and independent homeland, which he said contains a request for full member nation status in the UN based on the June 4, 1967 borders.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)