At UN, Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of ‘war of genocide’

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Friday of conducting a “war of genocide” and a “series of absolute war crimes” during the 50-day summer conflict in Gaza, but stopped short of saying he will pursue war crime charges against the Jewish state at the International Criminal Court. In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Abbas also said he will seek a UN resolution to set a deadline for Israel to pull out of Palestinian lands captured in the Six Day War in 1967, but did not include a three-year deadline as his aides had said he would.

This last war against Gaza was a series of absolute war crimes carried out before the eyes and ears of the entire world, moment by moment … [The devastation unleashed] is unmatched in modern times.

Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president

An official in the Israeli prime minister’s office described Abbas’ statements as “a speech of incitement that is filled with lies. This is not how someone who wants peace speaks,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with protocol. Israel launched thousands of air strikes against what it said were Hamas-linked targets in Gaza, while Gaza militants fired several thousand rockets at Israel. More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed, a large majority civilians, and some 18,000 homes were destroyed, according to UN figures. Sixty-six soldiers and six civilians were killed on the Israeli side. The devastating war has weakened Abbas domestically, with his Hamas rivals enjoying a surge of popularity among Palestinians for fighting Israel. He is under pressure at home to come up with a new political strategy after his repeated but failed attempts to establish a Palestinian state through U.S.-mediated negotiations with Israel.

Americas