Mahmoud Abbas is the president of the Palestinian Authority that sponsored the brutal murder of my wife and daughters in April in the name of “Palestinian nationalism.”
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In a recent speech, Mr. Abbas stated that Ashkenazi Jews are not descended from ancient Israelites but rather from an ancient Turkish people known as the Khazars.
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas questioned the heritage of Jews in Israel
(Photo: Reuters)
I would like to applaud Mr. Abbas for this untruth, which can be easily disproved today by genetic analysis and reams of historical evidence.
But what interests me more is this question: “Why did he feel it necessary to make this statement at all?”
He stated this, as he did many other hateful lies in the past, for one reason and one reason only: Islam is at odds with Palestinian nationalism. Yes, he’s spent his life fighting an unwinnable theological battle with the Jewish people and this statement is a beautiful demonstration of the contradiction that his terror regime, and his close allies Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are proliferating every day.
The Quran states that the Children of Israel “settled in a blessed land (Israel)....” (10:93), thereby identifying Israel as the eternal ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
The Quran then commands the Jewish people to follow the Torah strictly, stating, “O Children of Israel, remember My blessing which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil My covenant that I may fulfil your covenant, and be in awe of Me [alone].” (2:40). Interestingly, since over 30% of the 613 Torah commandments are connected to Temple worship, the Quran is effectively imploring Jews to rebuild the Temple. In fact, the Quran explicitly mentions the original building of the Temple by King Solomon, “they made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries (of the Temple), and statues, and basins as [large as] great watering - troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored.” (34:13) demonstrating its understanding of this critical element of how we Jews fulfil our covenant with God.
The Quran finally promises that Jews will return to the land of Israel in the “latter days” (17:104).
To Abbas, if modern Israelis really were the original “Children of Israel” mentioned in the Quran, then they would clearly have every right, under Islamic law, to reclaim their land and rebuild their Temple. His only challenge to this truth appears to be his assertion that Ashkenazi Jews (approximately one third of the Israeli population) do not derive from the original Israelite blood stock. His claims are laughable to any basic, and non-Palestinian, analysis but serve to draw our attention to the real issue: Abbas’ holy book defends the right of the Jewish people to return to our land and to rebuild our Temple.
Thank you, Mahmoud, for this enlightening insight which your bizarre accusation has drawn our attention to. The Quran is supportive of religious Zionism and even condemns the killing of Jews. In a direct quote from the Mishnah in Sanhedrin, the Quran states: “Whoever kills a person it is considered as if he killed all of mankind” (5:32). By your own religion, Mahmoud, you are a liar, a hypocrite and guilty of genocide.
So, Mr. Abbas, where do you go from here?
- Rabbi Leo Dee is the author of 'Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity'. He tragically lost his wife Lucy and daughters Maia and Rina in a terrorist attack earlier this year.