Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas made a congratulatory phone call on Saturday to an alleged terrorist freed by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, local media reported.
According to Israel's Kan News, which aired footage of the call, Abbas hailed Yasser Abu Bakr, who was sentenced to 115 years in 2004 after being convicted of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of multiple Israeli civilians, including a nine-month-old child, and left many others wounded.
In the recording, the PA chief can be heard congratulating Abu Bakr on his release from prison, telling him his incarceration was "for the sake of the Palestinian nation" and suggesting that he received an excessive sentence, according to a translation by Israel's Walla outlet.
Abbas's statements prompted condemnations from Israeli lawmakers.
