Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas looks on during an Ottawa news conference in May of 2009.FRED CHARTRAND/The Canadian Press
The Palestinian envoy to Canada is being recalled after she tweeted a link to a video that included a diatribe against Jews.
Linda Sobeh Ali said Tuesday afternoon the Palestinian Authority has asked her to leave Ottawa to avoid harming relations with Canada, and she will depart before the weekend. And she said she never watched the video she linked to her tweet, which said "check this video out."
The video showed a Palestinian girl reading an Arabic poem, with English subtitles that called people "to a war to raze oppression and injustice and destroy the Jews." The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday morning that the Canadian government decided to " limit communication" with her until a replacement arrives.
In an e-mail, Ms. Sobeh said she tweeted a link without seeing the video because she did it on her mobile device. "I am a person who will never ever promote hate of any kind towards anyone," she added.
"I believe and will continue to believe in building bridges and continue the dialogue between our two people. I leave Canada with a pain in my heart for this unfortunate incident."
Campbell Clark