RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday retracted his allegation that Israeli rabbis had called for the poisoning of Palestinian water, a remark that had drawn strong condemnation from Israel's prime minister.
"After it became evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, reported by various media outlets, are baseless, President Abbas has affirmed that he didn't intend to harm Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world," part of a statement by Abbas's office said.