Abbas meets with Putin in Russia, accuses Israel of ‘war of extermination’

The PA chairman repeated the Hamas lines that Israel was carrying out a “war of extermination” and should immediately allow aid in and withdraw fully from Gaza.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of carrying out genocide in the Gaza Strip when he met in Moscow on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He claimed that Israel was carrying out a “war of extermination” in Gaza and targeting women and children, despite the fact that the IDF routinely warns civilians to leave incipient battle zones and sets up humanitarian corridors to get them safely away.

Abbas also backed Hamas’ demands for Israel to immediately renew its ceasefire and fully withdraw from the Strip while allowing in unrestricted amounts of humanitarian aid and fuel.

He additionally complained about the IDF’s continuing anti-terrorist operations in Judea and Samaria, which he labeled an “ongoing aggression.”

The army has stopped countless terror attacks by going into Palestinian cities such as Jenin on an almost daily basis to arrest those suspected of planning missions or already on their way to carry out an attack, destroy terror infrastructure, and confiscate weapons and explosives.

When fired upon, the IDF responds in kind. The Israeli military has killed several senior Hamas and other terror commanders as a result.

The PA chief also expressed gratitude for “the historic relationship between Palestinians and Russia and appreciates Russia’s positions supporting the Palestinians.”

For his part, Putin did not publicly react to all of his guest’s charges, focusing on agreeing that “the Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis in the fullest sense of the word” and stating that Moscow has sent “over 800 tons of cargo to those in need, including food, medicine, and essential items.”

While calling the situation “a disaster, which is, of course, aggravated by decisions to ban even humanitarian aid and supplies of essential items and electricity to the Gaza Strip,” Putin did not blame Israel by name.

He was also deliberately vague on the reason for the breakdown of the January ceasefire, merely saying, “Unfortunately, the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year was sabotaged, and the escalation continues.”

Putin also threw in the de rigueur statement regarding the need for the “two-state solution” as the “only” way to achieve lasting peace in the region.

Abbas went to Moscow with several of his senior officials to join celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, in which the Russians take great pride.

Putin even declared a three-day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine that he started over three years ago with the excuse that the government in Kyiv was acting like the Nazis.