Mahmoud Abbas: US ambassador to Israel is a 'son of a dog'

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has called the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, a “son of a dog” during a scathing attack on Donald Trump’s policies.

“The US ambassador in Tel Aviv is a settler and a son of a dog,” Abbas said in comments to Palestinian leaders in Ramallah on Monday.

The remarks prompted a swift rebuke from the White House, which described Abbas’s comments as “highly inappropriate.”

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In response to Abbas, Friedman, who is Jewish, told a conference that Abbas’s comments could have antisemitic connotations.

“His response was to refer to me as ‘son of a dog’. Is that antisemitism or political discourse? I leave that up to you,” he said, according to a US embassy spokeswoman.

In a statement, a top Trump aide, Jason Greenblatt, responded: “The time has come for President Abbas to choose between hateful rhetoric and concrete and practical efforts to improve the quality of life of his people and lead them to peace and prosperity.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/palestinian-president-mahmoud-abbas-us-ambassador-israel-david-friedman-son-of-a-dog