President Barack Obama listens as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responds to a question during a joint meeting with the press in the Oval Office. Photo: Pete Souza.

In a surprising report from a South African newspaper, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, visiting the country among over 90 other foreign leaders to pay respects at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela, told The Star newspaper that he “firmly rejected the campaign in South Africa to boycott and divest from Israel.”

In a scanned copy of the article posted to Twitter by Jerusalem-based publicist and blogger Avi Mayer, and nominee of The Algemeiner’s Jewish 100 award, dozens responded with their disbelief.

“No, we do not support the boycott of “ª”ŽIsrael”¬,” Abbas replied to a question. “But we ask everyone to boycott the products of the settlements. Because the settlements are in our territories. It is illegal.”

“And the Israelis should first of all stop building in our territories, should stop everything in our territories. But we don’t ask anyone to boycott Israel itself. We have relations with Israel, we have mutual recognition of Israel,” he said.