Jordan condemns Smotrich's 'racist, extremist' remarks
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The Jordanian Foreign Ministry says Smotrich's recent actions were "reckless incitement and a violation of international norms and the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty."
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The Jordanian Foreign Ministry (US State Department)
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the provocative and racist statements of Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who claimed that "there is no such thing as Palestinian people."
During his participation in an event in Paris, Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionist Party, appeared on Sunday giving a speech before a map of the so-called "Greater Israel" that included Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories.
He claimed that "there is no such thing as Palestinians because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people."
"Who are the [real] Palestinians? I am Palestinian," he said, adding, "the Palestinian people are an invention of less than 100 years ago."
In a statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Sinan Majali, said in a statement that Smotrich's actions were "reckless incitement and a violation of international norms and the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty."
"We also condemn the racist and extremist inciting statements made by the extremist Israeli minister against the brotherly Palestinian people, their right to exist, and their historical rights in their independent and sovereign state on the Palestinian national soil," Majali expressed.
The Jordanian Spokesperson said that Smotrich's actions were "dangerous", underlining that the Israeli occupation government "must take a clear and open position toward such extremism and the inflammatory and malicious statements by a serving minister."
The statement called on the international community to condemn Smotrich's inflammatory actions and statements, which are in violation of human values and principles.
Majali stressed that Jordan "will take all necessary political and legal measures to address such extremist, hateful actions and statements, which amount to a dangerous escalation that threatens the region's security and stability."
Elsewhere, the statement underscored that such extremist statements and actions "will not undermine Jordan or undercut the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, but rather will expose to the world the historical injustice to which the Palestinian people are being subjected and the dangerous extremism and racism of the Israeli minister."
Betzalel Smotrich le ministre des Finances à Paris: Le peuple palestinien n'existe pas. Il faut le dire à l'Élysée et à la Maison blanche. Devant le podium la carte du très très grand Israël pic.twitter.com/IlRDhwJoVR
— Charles Enderlin (@Charles1045) March 20, 2023
In response, the Israeli occupation Foreign Ministry claimed later on Monday that "Israel" "is committed to the peace agreement with Jordan from 1994."
"There has been no change in the position of the State of Israel which recognizes the territorial integrity of the Hashemite Kingdom," the occupation Ministry insisted.
Earlier, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh blasted the "inflammatory" remarks made by Smotrich.
Speaking before the cabinet meeting of the Palestinian Authority on Monday, Shtayyeh said the "inflammatory statements are consistent with the first Zionist sayings of a land without a people for a people without a land."
The Palestinian Prime Minister said the comments were "conclusive evidence of the extremist, racist Zionist ideology... of the current Israeli government."
It is noteworthy that last month, Smotrich called on "Isreal" to "wipe out" Huwara after illegal Israeli settlers rampaged through the city, murdering one Palestinian and burning Palestinian cars, homes, and businesses to the ground.
