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Dwight Howard Ripped by Jewish Organization

Houston Rockets center's "#FreePalestine" tweet outrages group.

Dwight Howard apologized for his “#FreePalestine” tweet over the weekend. That doesn’t mean everyone is accepting it.

The Zionist Organization of America told TMZ that the Houston Rockets center’s apology doesn’t cut it.

"He should be publicly condemned as strong as Donald Sterling was," the group's president Morton Klein told the website on Monday. "Anyone who uses the phrase 'Free Palestine' is either ignorant of the situation or hates the Jewish state of Israel. It's a hateful position."

Klein added: "Celebs have great influence. When he makes a ridiculously false statement like 'Free Palestine,' it's frightening."

Klein’s reaction comes as backlash to Howard’s #FreePalestine tweet Saturday, which he then deleted and apologized for during a series of subsequent tweets.

“Previous tweet was a mistake,” a backpedaling Howard claimed. “I have never commented on international politics and never will.”

But Howard wasn’t done yet.

“I apologize if I offended anyone with my previous tweet, it was a mistake!” he added on the social media outlet.

On Tuesday, Rihanna followed suit and also tweeted "#FreePalestine" before deleting the post like Howard.

The latest on the Israel-Palestine situation had Egypt planning a cease-fire between the two warring nations, but the countries continued to fight Tuesday anyway.

On Monday, President Obama told reporters at the White House that tension between Israel and Palestine “benefits no one” and encouraged a cease-fire.

"I believe further escalation benefits no one, least of all the Israeli and the Palestinian people,” Obama said, as reported by USA Today. “So we're going to continue doing everything we can to facilitate a return to the 2012 cease-fire."

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  (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

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