Palestinian Authority Daily Runs Oped Calling Trump Mideast Envoy ‘Mongoloid’

U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, center, Israeli Ministe
Ronen Zvulun/Pool, via AP
Deborah Brand

TEL AVIV – U.S. Ambassador David Friedman slammed the official Palestinian Authority newspaper for running an opinion piece that described U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East as a “mongoloid,” a derogatory term for a person with Down Syndrome.

The oped, authored by ex-PA official Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul and published in Sunday’s edition of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, sharply critiqued the as-yet unveiled peace plan by the Trump administration.

“Anyone who follows the prattle of Jason Greenblatt, President Trump’s envoy in the matter of the deal of the century, sees that his condition is very similar to Down Syndrome,” al-Ghoul wrote, according to a translation of the article by monitoring group Palestinian Media Watch.

“Anyone who looks at the American envoy [Greenblatt] discovers that he has external and inner characteristics similar to those suffering from Down syndrome: He is short, his eyes are similar to Mongoloid eyes, he prattles unrestrainedly, and is politically retarded,” the columnist wrote.

Al-Ghoul went on to say that it was not only Greeenblatt who appeared to suffer from Down syndrome but the entire Trump administration.

“Anyone who examines the general genes of the components of the Trump administration sees that it is a politically crippled creature,” he wrote.

He assured readers that despite the “prattle” by Trump, “Mongoloid Greenblatt,” US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner, the “ominous deal” would fail, since PA President Mahmoud Abbas would never allow it to pass.

“They should know for certain that without the signature of PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, no deal will pass, and their foolish steps and policy will continue to be pointless,” al-Ghoul said.

Friedman later censured the column for making a mockery of people with disabilities.

“I am disgusted — not for Jason (he’s got broad shoulders) — but by this utter disregard for the value of every human life,” he wrote on Twitter.

Greenblatt echoed Friedman’s comments and tweeted that Al-Ghoul and his comments were “disgusting and demonstrate a complete disregard for the dignity of every human life.”

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