Abbas' "condemnation" was a sham: He never condemned the Jerusalem terror attack

Yesterday, terrorists opened fire in Jerusalem, murdering six and injuring 12 innocent Israelis. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the man the international community insists is a "peace partner," then put out a statement that was labeled by much of the international media as a condemnation. In reality, it was anything but.

Abbas never once mentioned the terror attack. He never referred to the murders, never acknowledged the victims, and never expressed a word of sympathy for their families. His statement spoke in vague terms about rejecting "any targeting of Palestinian and Israeli civilians," a formula carefully crafted to sound balanced while deliberately blurring the reality that it was Palestinians who carried out the terror attack, and Israelis were its victims.

Worse still, 98% of Abbas' statement was condemnation of Israel, the "occupation," "genocide," and "colonist terrorism." Instead of using the attack to speak out against Palestinian terror, Abbas used it against Israel without even actually mentioning it and while portraying Palestinians as the victims.

Abbas' remark is not a condemnation of terrorism. It is a cover-up. He is once again confirming the PA's ideology that sees Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians as justified.

The emptiness of Abbas's words becomes glaring when compared to the response of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE condemned the "terrorist shooting incident… in the strongest terms," offered condolences to the victims and their families, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. The UAE's statement was clear, moral, and human. Abbas's was political and self-serving, designed to enable gullible Westerners to delude themselves that Abbas was actually condemning terrorism. The UAE and Abbas' statements follow. The difference speaks volumes.