Vitriolic and antisemitic Palestinian claims against Israel are far from anything new. In the years since they negotiated and signed the Oslo accords, Palestinian Authority officials have shown little interest in following through on their agreements. They have often accused Israel of crimes ranging from genocide to apartheid. However, this time it seems the choice of words by the spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, was more unique than in the past.
Over the weekend, Abu RUDEINEH participated in the conference of ministers of the Arab countries in Libya, where he declared that "the new government in Israel is extremely right-wing, which, unfortunately, is worse than ISIS and may be comparable to the Taliban organization."
New Poll: 24% of Palestinian Arabs Support ISIS | Jewish & Israel News https://t.co/6MKSX5GifQ https://t.co/NoTnGRxfNO
— الكضية٤٨ (@alkzyt48) December 21, 2022
Later, Abu Rudeineh returned to the classic claims Palestinian Authority officials often make, saying that despite Israel's attempts to "Judaize" Jerusalem throughout history, no Jewish remains were found in the city. "The holy places in Jerusalem are Islamic and Christian. Throughout history, not a single Jewish remnant has been found in the city, even though Israel has been digging and searching in Jerusalem for 70 years to find a trace that would prove the existence of any Jew who lived in Jerusalem throughout history."
With Jerusalem actually being mentioned in The Bible unlike the Quran and thousands of Jewish remnants from the city including Solomon’s Temple findings which have been discovered under mosques; coins from the Judean revolt, a fresco in the tunnels underneath the Old City that mention King Hezekiah, seals of other Jewish Kings, priestly ornaments described in the Bible and more, it should’ve been clear to all listeners that Abu Rudeineh was lying. It is also unclear how antisemitic political discourse had any connection to the conference, but PA officials are notorious for hijacking public stages for their own cause. This is one reason why their cause has been waning in Arab countries as they pivot toward peace with the Jewish State.
"PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said restoring the Palestinian rights is the key to security and peace in the Middle East"
— Palestine Deep Dive (@PDeepdive) December 19, 2022
Article from @MiddleEastMnt https://t.co/mPn0AYK0ZA
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman also referred to the American policy and its support for Israel and further said "the Israeli attempts with the aid of the United States to Judaize Jerusalem and empty it of its original Arab inhabitants constitute an attack on the Palestinian narrative as the owners of the land. This is a truth with no real foundation and an attempt to falsify history."
He also attacked American President Joe Biden and claimed that "none of what he said to Abu Mazen (Arab nickname for Abbas) came to fruition. “President Biden visited Palestine and met with Abu Mazen in Bethlehem, he declared that he supports the two-state solution, but in practice, he did nothing to fulfill his promise."
At the end of his speech, the spokesman of the Palestinian presidency made a general accusation against Israel and said that "its very existence in the region is a threat to the security of Arabs everywhere."
📍Occupied city of Yaffa 💙💙 pic.twitter.com/3Uh4fMDJlk
— Sarah Hassan (@Sarah_Hassan94) December 17, 2022
The Palestinians control a massive disinformation network across social media and other digital means. From publications like Mondoweiss and +972 magazine which conspire with Palestinian government public affairs divisions to spin stories to popular Facebook accounts like 'Days Of Palestine", the efforts often claim Israel is occupying Palestine and show images of Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Tiberias which are internationally recognized areas of Israel. Abu Rudeineh's accusations seemed to mimic the narratives often disseminated in their public relations campaigns.
