Paris Mayor strips Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of city's highest honor over Holocaust remarks

Shafaq News/ Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has revoked the French capital's highest honor, the Grand Vermeil medal, from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after he commented about the Holocaust that echoed "anti-Semitic tropes," her office announced on Friday.

Abbas was stripped of the medal because he "justified the extermination of the Jews of Europe" during World War II, according to Hidalgo's office.

In a letter sent to Abbas on Thursday, Hidalgo stated, "The comments you made are contrary to our universal values and the historical truth of the Shoah (Holocaust). You can, therefore, no longer hold this distinction."

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), an umbrella organization representing French Jews, published the text of Hidalgo's letter on social media, writing, "This important decision honors Paris and the city's ongoing commitment against anti-Semitism."

Abbas, 87, asserted that Jews were killed in the Holocaust because of their "social role" rather than their religion, stating that "(Adolf) Hitler killed the Jews because they were Jews" was "not true."

He also claimed that Ashkenazi Jews originated in Europe, not the Middle East, and were targeted during the Holocaust due to hatred related to their historic role as moneylenders.

Abbas was awarded the medal, which also granted him honorary citizenship of Paris, almost eight years ago on September 21, 2015, "in recognition of his efforts toward achieving peace between Palestinians and Israelis," as stated by the city of Paris at the time.