Mahmoud Abbas claims wild pigs are being released by Israelis to intimidate Palestinians

In a speech on Friday the Palestinian Authority president made the accusation against Israeli settlers

Reports have emerged that Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, claimed Israel was using wild pigs against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Mr Abbas’s allegation was made during a speech at a conference in Ramallah on Friday night, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“Every night they release wild pigs against us”, the president was quoted as saying, before adding “Why are they doing this?”.

The latest comments come after a Palestinian house was set on fire in Ramallah, the location of Mr Abbas's speech, at around 4am on Sunday by Israeli settlers throwing Molotov cocktails. Anti-Palestinian graffiti was also daubed on the walls.

The accusation of using wild pigs as a weapon is not new. In the past, the Palestinian authority has claimed that the IDF and Israeli settlers have released the animals to intimidate farmers and damage crops.

In the same speech, however, the Palestinian president called for bridges of love not war, instead of a “racist” fence, between the two communities.

An Israeli government official dismissed the allegations as "rubbish".