The Arab League (AL) has indeed made a good point by rejecting Germany’s reaction to the remarks of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when he used the word “Holocaust’ to describe Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians.
The Arab League Secretariat said those who had lashed out at Abbas’ remark whether in Germany, the UK and elsewhere appeared to be part of a bullying campaign against the Palestinians and their president. It also said that the German reaction underestimated the decades-long suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.
The AL secretariat explained that the campaign had overlooked Palestinian presidency statement in which Abbas had bluntly condemned the Holocaust describing it as the most heinous crime that happened in the modern history of mankind. It said that he (Abbas) “condemns mass murder in the strongest terms”.
During a recent visit to Germany, Abbas was asked if he would apologise for a 1972 Munich Olympics incident in which Palestinian gunmen killed 11 Israelis, after taking them hostage.
The question was posed a few weeks ahead of the 50th anniversary of the attack. Abbas replied that Israel had committed “50 massacres, 50 Holocausts against the Palestinians since 1948”.
Yet in the very same joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Abbas said: “Our demand is to say enough. I don’t want more than peace. Please come to peace, please come to security. Let’s build trust.”
Why has such a statement, which reveals Abbas’ true intentions, been ignored?
Moreover, it stands to reason that a president of a people who have been subjected to oppression and all kinds of atrocities for more than 70 years would not approve terror and intimidation against innocent people whatever their race, faith or nationality.
The susceptible implication of the word Holocaust for the German people is quite comprehensible. For this reason, the use of such a strong word should draw the attention of the world to the fact that the Palestinians are being regularly killed in clashes, raids and wars and millions have been displaced since 1984. They have been deprived of their basic rights and lost their land. Moreover, they have been deprived of the least hope to enjoy an independent state in the foreseen future because there is no sign whatever that Israel is ready for peace talks.
The statement has made it clear that Abbas’ Holocaust remark should not be used as a way to record points against the Palestinian cause, hence black out the daily suffering of the Palestinians. It warned that the occupation forces would take advantage of this situation at the expense of the distressed Palestinians. The AL should be commended for speaking the true mind of the member states it represents.
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