Sa’ar Warns Israel Will Not Be Fooled Again

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sharply rebuked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas following his virtual address to the United Nations General Assembly. In a post on X (Twitter), Sa’ar mocked Abbas for claiming readiness to retake the Gaza Strip which he said Abbas “so easily lost to Hamas in 2007.” He added, “How generous of him.”

Sa’ar didn’t stop there. He accused Abbas of encouraging terror by paying salaries to terrorists and their families. He charged that Abbas presents polished oratory to the West, while sending hidden messages to his people. “To the West, he offers pretty words. But his people should draw conclusions from the key he wears on his suit lapel,” Sa’ar wrote. He concluded his message with a stern warning: “Israel will not be deceived again.”

The symbolism of the key pin worn by Abbas during his address drew particular attention in Sa’ar’s critique. The key is a longtime emblem among Palestinians of the so‑called “right of return” to lands lost in 1948. Israel’s Foreign Ministry echoed Sa’ar’s position, stating that Abbas’s choice to wear the key was an unmistakable signal of his intent to “erase Israel.”

In its own response, the Foreign Ministry asserted that Abbas’s narrative hides a more dangerous aim: despite claims of supporting a two‑state model, the key emblem signals a deeper desire to flood Israel with former Palestinian lands’ inhabitants and alter its Jewish identity. Israel vowed such outcomes “will not happen.”

Sa’ar’s rebuke underscores a growing impatience in Israeli leadership toward what it sees as rhetorical double standards from the PA. As Abbas positions himself anew in global forums, Israel is reinforcing its resolve not to be misled by symbolic gestures.

May Israel stand firm in its defense of truth and its future. Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for updates.