Palestinian leader condemns murders

The Palestinian president, in a rare interview to the Israeli media, has condemned the deadly attack on a Jewish settler family over the weekend as “despicable, immoral and inhuman”.

Mahmoud Abbas told Israel Radio that the gory images of the victims – parents, two children and an infant – “cause anyone humane to ache and cry”.

In today’s interview, Mr Abbas also said he would not allow attacks to multiply.

Israel has indirectly blamed the Palestinian government for the carnage, suggesting the killings were the product of incitement it allows.

Mr Abbas said there is no incitement in mosques and called for a joint Israeli-Palestinian-US team to examine claims of incitement in Palestinian textbooks.

Israel has not produced evidence that incitement contributed to the killings.