He asserted that Hitler’s actions were driven by Jews’ “social role” as moneylenders rather than enmity toward Judaism. The E.U. condemned these historical distortions as inflammatory, deeply offensive, and detrimental to regional stability. They emphasized that such rhetoric plays into the hands of those opposed to a two-state solution and trivializes the Holocaust, fueling antisemitism.

France’s embassy joined the condemnation, labeling Abbas’s speech “clearly unacceptable.” They unequivocally condemned antisemitism and Holocaust denial, pledging to vigorously combat these forms of hatred. Abbas’s baseless claims about the origins of Ashkenazi Jews and his denial of the Holocaust were characterized as deeply troubling by France. …

Despite the criticism, Abbas will never change. The real question is how long before the critics start treating Abbas like a moderate once again.

[Worth noting too: Israel has regular, competitive, pluralistic elections that cover a wide range of dissent over all policy areas, including on Palestinian issues. Abbas is still serving as president in the “18th year of his four-year term,” as Jeff puts it, while imposing Fatah’s ideological agenda on the West Bank. Abbas also clearly thinks that “Sergeant” Hitler had the right idea. Which of these should the US support? Hmmmm. — Ed]