369 House Members Sign Letter to Abbas to End Incitement, Voilence

A bipartisan group of 369 representatives signed on to a congressional letter directed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calling on him to repudiate violence and end incitement against innocent Israeli citizens. The letter was initiated and circulated by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY).

“Now is the time for the Palestinian Authority to take concrete steps to avoid further violence,” the letter reads. “This starts with a sustained effort to publicly and officially repudiate these attacks, ending the unacceptable incitement to violence emanating from Palestinian Authority officials and institutions, continuing important security cooperation with Israel and agreeing to unconditionally renew direct talks with the Israelis.”

AIPAC applauded the effort and the bipartisan call. “Inflammatory and baseless remarks about the Temple Mount made by President Abbas and other Palestinian leaders have helped create an incendiary atmosphere resulting in death and injuries to scores of Israelis,” the group said in a statement.

Read the full text of the letter below:

Dear President Abbas:

We are writing to express our deep concern over the recent wave of Palestinian violence in Israel and the West Bank. Unless immediate action is taken to end incitement and bring the situation under control, this escalating violence – including stabbings, shootings and other terrorist acts — will undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.

There have been some efforts to curb the violence and protect the peace. But statements made by you, other political figures, clerics and official PA media have undoubtedly served to inflame the current situation. False claims about changing the status quo on the Temple Mount or accusations of Israel executing an attacker — when, in fact, he is being treated in an Israeli hospital — only encourage more acts of terror. The abhorrent and deadly rhetoric – including calls for knife attacks on Israelis – must stop.

Now is the time for the Palestinian Authority to take concrete steps to avoid further violence. This starts with a sustained effort to publicly and officially repudiate these attacks, ending the unacceptable incitement to violence emanating from Palestinian Authority officials and institutions, continuing important security cooperation with Israel and agreeing to unconditionally renew direct talks with the Israelis.

The stakes are high. Now is the time for responsible and sustained leadership on these critical issues.