U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Monday accused Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of anti-Semitism after he referred to the ambassador as a "son of a bitch."

"Three young Israelis were murdered over the weekend ... in cold bold by Palestinian terrorist and a reaction from the Palestinian authority was deafening. No condemnation," Friedman said at the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism conference.

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"I saw his response on my iPhone. His response was to refer to me as son of a dog. Is that anti-Semitism or political discourse? I leave that up to you," he continued.

Freidman was referencing comments Abbas made Monday during a speech in Ramallah.

"Son of a dog," Abbas said in the speech. "[The settlers] are building on their land? You are a settler and your family are settlers."

Israeli settlements on the Palestinian majority West Bank have long drawn criticism from Palestinians and various members of the international community.

The Obama administration famously abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote in 2016 that denounced Israeli settlements, allowing the resolution to pass.

Tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority have ramped up under the Trump administration.

President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE announced late last year that the U.S. would begin recognizing Jerusalem as the country's capital, going against the international community.

Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital a future Palestinian state.

"What do you expect of such a government?" Abbas said in his address on Monday. "I was pressured to travel to Washington to legitimize Trump's program, but I did not agree and would never agree to give up our principles or the rights of the Palestinian people."