Netanyahu's Reaction to Abbas's Anti-American Remarks: 'His Mask Has Been Removed'

One day after the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's harsh speech against the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Abbas's remarks have helped Israel present the truth and have shown that the root of the Palestinian conflict with Israel lies in their unwillingness to recognize Israel within any borders. On Sunday, January 14, during a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Central Council, which was convened to discuss the organization's options in response to the recent U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Abbas launched a fierce attack on U.S. President Donald Trump. He claimed that the U.S. peace plan, which was supposed to be the 'deal of the century,' has turned into a 'slap of the century' for the Palestinians, and when referring to Trump's tweet about cutting U.S. financial aid to the Palestinians, he added the Arabic phrase 'may your house be destroyed.' Two weeks ago, Trump tweeted that the Palestinians have never appreciated or respected U.S. aid, and that since they are not ready to negotiate, why should the U.S. give them hundreds of millions of dollars annually? The United States pays over $300 million annually to the Palestinian Authority and its security forces, and also contributes $300 million to UN programs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Netanyahu, who was on an official flight to India during Abbas's speech, reacted on Monday, January 15, in New Delhi, stating that 'he revealed the truth and removed his mask.' According to Netanyahu, 'If we want to achieve reconciliation and peace, we must understand why this conflict has lasted so long... Abbas's words revealed a simple truth that I have been trying to show for many years: the root of the Palestinian conflict with Israel is the permanent rejection of recognizing the Jewish state within any borders.' Netanyahu added that Abbas fears the U.S. political plan and wants to remove the U.S. from mediating the peace process and replace it with other actors. He also noted that the global approach has changed; while for many years the international community coddled the Palestinians, now someone has come and stated the facts about Jerusalem and the necessity of recognizing Israel to their face. According to Israeli media, Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, also called Abbas's remarks 'horrific,' stating that he omitted many facts from his speech and repeated the same claims for which he has been accused of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial for years. Defense and Education Ministers and several other Israeli officials and opposition leaders who have recently had political meetings with Abbas also strongly condemned the Palestinian leader's remarks. Since taking office last year, the Trump administration has sent Jared Kushner, the White House senior advisor, and his team on several peace missions to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Abbas has expressed readiness for a historic peace during four meetings with Trump. American media reported a few weeks ago that Kushner and his team have continued to finalize the peace plan to present it to the conflicting parties. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit the region in the coming days, but the Palestinians have stated that they will not meet with him in protest of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.