Ted Cruz calls Abbas speech ‘slanderous’
Texas senator says Israel’s actions in Gaza were justified, and US would have done the same
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US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Saturday called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s accusations of an Israel “genocide” against the Palestinians “slanderous” and urged Abbas to speak out against Hamas rather than Israel.
“Israel’s action in Gaza was the just self-defense of a sovereign nation against relentless attacks by radical Islamic terrorists,” Cruz said in a statement. “The United States would and should do the same under those circumstances.”
In Abbas’s address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, he demanded an end to the occupation, accused Israel of waging a “war of genocide” in Gaza and asserted that Palestinians faced a future in a “most abhorrent form of apartheid” under Israeli rule.
“Rather than bandying baseless accusations against Israel in the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority would do better to expose Hamas’s vicious use of civilians as human shields, which is an actual war crime,” he added.
The US State Department also attacked Abbas’s remarks at the UN, saying they were “offensive” and undermined peace efforts. “President Abbas’s speech today included offensive characterizations that were deeply disappointing and which we reject,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
“Such provocative statements are counterproductive and undermine efforts to create a positive atmosphere and restore trust between the parties,” she added.
At a Friday gathering of evangelical conservatives, Cruz — who is frequently named as a potential Republican contender for the presidency in 2016 — said he sought to defend American values, which included standing “for Israel.” He has frequently spoken in support and defense of the Jewish state over the past few months and during Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israel Community.