‘You are the problem,’ Israeli envoy tells Abbas at UN

Danny Danon, Israel Ambassador to the UN, responded to Abbas at the Security Council, saying, “You are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Following a speech by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations Security Council Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addressed the PA leader directly and stated, “You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem.”

“You just addressed the members of the Security Council and spoke of your commitments to peace. This is what you often do when speaking to international forums. But when you address your people, you convey a very different message,” Danon said, before continuing to cite examples of anti-Semitism and incitement to violence by the Palestinian leadership.

PA spends 50% of foreign aid on funding terror

“Mr. Abbas, your incitement does not end with rhetoric. You have made it official Palestinian policy to sponsor terrorism,” Danon stated. “In 2017, you spent $345 million paying terrorists for killing innocent Israelis. That is 50 percent of the total foreign aid donated to the PA. This is money you could have spent building 40 hospitals. This is money you could have used to build over 170 schools. Every single year.”

After detailing the many peace initiatives rejected by Abbas since elected head of the PA in 2005, Danon noted that “the current US administration is once again working hard to make progress towards peace. Mr. Abbas, however, is once again looking hard for an excuse. This time he claims it was the American announcement about Jerusalem that drove him to reject negotiations.”

Turning again to Abbas, Danon said: “Let me be clear. For thousands of years, Jerusalem has been the heart and soul of our people… and it will remain the undivided capital of the State of Israel forever.”

Israel remains hopeful for peace

Noting Israel’s hopefulness for the future, Danon told the Council members that “three times a day, Jews in Israel and all over the world turn to Jerusalem, and pray for peace. We have no doubt that the day will come when the Palestinian people will also be blessed with leadership that shares these noble aspirations.”

With files from the Israeli Mission to the UN