Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas apologised Friday over alleged anti-Semitic comments that drew global condemnation. The English-language statement added he wanted “to reiterate our long held condemnation of the Holocaust, as the most heinous crime in history”. International criticismAbbas has made similar comments before but his speech at the Palestinian National Council sparked global condemnation. The Palestinians point out Israel continues to expand settlements throughout the West Bank, while maintaining a crippling blockade of Gaza. The controversy comes as the ageing Abbas sought to use the Palestinian National Council to reassert his dominance of secular Palestinian politics.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 04, 2018 13:18 UTC