Palestinians slam their political leaders

A GROUP of Palestinian academics have released an open letter of condemnation in response to recent statements by the Palestinian Authority’s president:

“Palestinian people of all walks of life unequivocally condemn the morally and politically reprehensible comments by president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, about the Holocaust.

“The Nazi genocide of Jewish people was born of anti-semitism, fascism, and racism.

“We reject any attempt to diminish, misrepresent, or justify anti-semitism, Nazi crimes against humanity, or historical revisionism.

“Palestinians are sufficiently burdened by Israeli colonialism, dispossession, occupation, and oppression without having to bear the negative effects of ignorant and profoundly anti-semitic narratives by those who claim to speak in our name. We are also burdened by the PA’S (the authority’s) draconian rule, which disproportionately impacts those living under occupation.

Abbas and his entourage have forfeited any claim to represent the Palestinian people and our struggle for justice, freedom, and equality, a struggle that stands against all forms of systemic racism and oppression.”