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What did Abbas tell Blinken about Russia, Ukraine and Israel?

Blinken pledged to continue American financial aid to the PA of some $500 million annually.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas slammed the West for its punitive measures on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, saying that the same countries rushing to condemn Putin ignore Israel’s alleged crimes against Palestinians, during a meeting with visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah on Sunday.

According to an AFP report, Abbas bemoaned what he said was Europe and the U.S.’s hypocritical approach towards human rights.

“The current events in Europe have shown blatant double standards,” Abbas told Blinken in a media conference.

“Despite the crimes of the Israeli occupation that amounted to ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination…we find no one who is holding Israel responsible for behaving as a state above the law.”

Abbas and the PA have not condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, and residents of the PA-controlled city of Bethlehem held a rally in support of Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in March.

Blinken did not raise the issue with Abbas but pledged to continue American financial aid to the PA of some $500 million annually.

“The United States is committed to rebuilding our relationship with the Palestinian Authority and with the Palestinian people,” Blinken told Abbas.

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The critical remarks from Abbas about Western hypocrisy come after reports that the PA is unhappy with the Biden administration.

In mid-March, PA presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudaineh criticized the American government for “unfulfilled promises,” noting its failure to reopen a de-facto Palestinian consulate in eastern Jerusalem that was shuttered by former president Donald Trump.

It’s widely believed that Abbas and the PA had high hopes for greater relations with the U.S. after repeated clashes with the staunchly pro-Israel Trump administration.

The embattled octogenarian leader is widely unpopular with his constituents. Opinion polls have found that the vast majority of Palestinians want Abbas to resign and would prefer to be governed by the Hamas terror group.