Condemnation of Israeli Minister’s Statements on Palestine
On Monday, March 20, Palestinians and the Jordanian government strongly condemned the remarks by a senior Israeli government minister, who claimed that a nation called Palestine never existed and that it was a recent invention of the past century.
According to Israeli media and the Associated Press, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, said in a speech in Paris on March 19 that there was never a nation called Palestine, but rather a nation by that name was suddenly created a century ago to counter the idea of Zionism.
Smotrich added that there is no Palestinian history, culture, or language.
He stated that it would be good for the White House to understand this reality as well.
During his speech, a map of Greater Israel was visible, which included the territory of Jordan.
Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, said that Smotrich’s remarks are yet another strong testament to the extremist and racist ideology prevalent among the current Israeli cabinet parties.
In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry declared that the Israeli minister’s statements violate the Jordan-Israel peace treaty.