Palestinian group Fatah has condemned the statements of Isreal’s Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who had said that Palestinians and their leader should perish from this world. According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, the Palestinian office of Information and Culture in a statement has described it racist and an act of incitement to genocide. The US state department has also condemned the inflammatory statements by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The US Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley has said in a statement that these remarks are not only deeply offensive, but incitement such as this hurts the cause of peace. The statement adds, as both sides move forward to re-launch peace negotiations, it is important that actions by people on all sides help to advance peace effort not hinder it. Palestinians and Israeli leaders are meeting in Washington on 1st September to re-launch peace negotiations.