Palestinians condemn EU's von der Leyen for 'racist trope'

Palestinians have described remarks about Israel by the head of the European Commission as "inappropriate, false and discriminatory".

It follows a congratulatory video message by Ursula von der Leyen on Israel's Independence Day on Wednesday.

In it she praised Israel, including for having "made the desert bloom".

It has sparked an unusual diplomatic spat between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the European Union (EU), its main donor.

A spokesperson for the commission told the BBC: "The EU is unpleasantly surprised by the inappropriate statement of the Palestinian foreign ministry accusing the president of the European Commission of racism." read more