Written question asked by Greg Smith (Conservative) on Monday, 11 September 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 September 2023 (named day). It was answered by David Rutley (Conservative) on Friday, 15 September 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Mahmoud Abbas

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implication for his polices of reported anti-Semitic comments by the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas in the context of the Middle East Peace Process.

Answer: The UK condemns the recent antisemitic remarks made by President Abbas. The UK stands firmly against all attempts to distort the Holocaust. Such statements do not advance efforts towards reconciliation. President Abbas' comments are completely unacceptable and can only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution that is in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. Officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem have raised this matter with the Palestinian Authority and the Foreign Secretary intends to do the same during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Secondary information