NEW YORK (JTA) — A New York City rabbi condemned the call to assassinate Palestinian leaders issued at his synagogue.
Elie Abadie of Congregation Edmond J. Safra in Manhattan said the call last week by the leader of an Israeli pro-settler organization to kill Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other "terrorist leaders" is "odious and repugnant."
He added the sponsoring organization, Americans for a Safe Israel, is no longer welcome to host events at his synagogue.
"On a personal level, I am horrified at such hateful statements, and I have made this clear to the organization," Abadie said in a statement Friday. "We did not sponsor or support that event, and neither I nor any member of our congregational staff was present.
"While the use of the premises has always been available on a non-discriminatory basis, the nature of the remarks made disqualifies the AFSI from any further use of the space."
Nadia Matar, the co-chairwoman of Women in Green, called for Israel to assassinate "all terrorist leaders, starting with Mahmoud Abbas," last week in the context of a comparison of England’s response to Nazi aggression and Israel’s response to Palestinian terror. Her remarks were greeted with applause.
