Ahead of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called the Shoah "the most heinous crime" in modern history.
Abbas "expressed his sympathy with the families of the victims and many other innocent people who were killed by the Nazis" and added: "The world must do its utmost to fight racism and injustice in order to bring justice and equality to oppressed people wherever they are. The Palestinian people, who suffer from injustice, oppression and are denied freedom and peace, are the first to demand to lift the injustice and racism that befell other peoples subjected to such crimes."
The Palestinian leader also urged the Israeli government to use "the incredibly sad commemoration of Holocaust day" to take the chance to find a "just and comprehensive" peace with his people, based on a two-state solution.
Abbas's comments were the strongest that he has made publicly on the Holocaust and appear to be an attempt to reach out to the Israeli public.
Mixed reactions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Abbas's words "damage control," in an interview with CNN. "I think what President Abbas is trying to do is to placate Western public opinion that understands that he delivered a terrible blow to the peace process by embracing these Hamas terrorists," he said. Netanyahu called Hamas "a terror organization that calls for the destruction of Israel and denies the Holocaust."
Abbas's statement, released in English and Arabic, was announced in a meeting last week with Rabbi Marc Schneier, a former vice president of the World Jewish Congress. Rabbi Schneier said he thought the remark was heartfelt and genuine, and should be embraced by the Jewish world.
Israel's Yad Vashem said Abbas's words "might signal a change." The Holocaust memorial institution expressed hope that the sentiment would be reflected in the Palestinian government's official materials, school curricula and public discourse.
According to the 'Wall Street Journal', Abbas' statement also received mixed reactions among his domestic audience. "It's a groundbreaking statement in the Arab world,'' Mohammed Dajani, a political-science professor at the Palestinian Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Dajani has led an effort to teach Palestinians about the Holocaust. "I think it is courageous for him to have to done so, despite the criticism him might face," he said.
The reaction in the Arab world to Abbas' words was muted. Many newspapers and agencies either mentioned the statement briefly or not at all. Hamas also refrained from criticizing Abbas. In past years, the group has excluded the Holocaust from the syllabus in the Gaza Strip, which has been under its control since 2007.
