Saudi Arabia, France and Egypt on Friday condemned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for saying Israel should “cleanse” the Palestinian city of Huwara in the West Bank, sparked by statements from far-right lawmakers and violence in the West Has happened. Edge.
Smotrich’s comments came days after a terrorist shot dead two Israeli brothers in Huwara. Hours later, extremist settlers ransacked the city, setting houses and cars on fire and killing one Palestinian.
In addition to being finance minister, Smotrich serves as a minister in the Ministry of Defense in charge of civil affairs in the West Bank.
His calls to destroy the city prompted widespread international condemnation, including harsh criticism from the US and the United Nations.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the extremist statements made by an Israeli occupation official by calling for the (erasation) of the Palestinian village of Huwara,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry expressed on Friday.
“The Ministry reaffirms the State’s complete rejection of these racist and irresponsible statements, which reflect the amount of violence and extremism perpetrated by the Israeli entity towards the fraternal Palestinian people,” the statement said,
The ministry called on the international community to take steps to “provide the necessary protection to civilians”.
Cars burned by Jewish settlers during riots in Hawara in the West Bank near Nablus on February 27, 2023. (Eric Marmor/Flash90)
A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “We are appalled by Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks regarding the Palestinian village of Hawara.”
“These comments are unacceptable, irresponsible and unbecoming of a member of the Israeli government, who is furthermore in charge of the civilian administration of the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the statement said. “These comments only fuel hatred and fuel the current cycle of violence. Once again, France calls on the Government of Israel to protect Palestinian civilians and hold perpetrators of violence accountable.
also a French Foreign Ministry official visited Huwara As part of a delegation of European diplomats in the village on Friday. The French consulate in Jerusalem said after the visit that the mission “condemns in the strongest terms the heinous and violent acts committed by the settlers.”
Egypt’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned Smotrich’s statements as “an unacceptable, dangerous incitement to violence that goes against all laws, norms and moral values.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sought to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom has shied away from open cooperation with Israel. Egypt and Israel have long had formal diplomatic relations.
Israeli security forces block Palestinian and Israeli peace activists protesting at the entrance to Huwara in the West Bank on March 3, 2023. (Jafar Ashtiyah / AFP)
United Arab Emirates and Jordan on Thursday also blasted Smotrich for the comments. Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Said The rhetoric “was inflammatory, it is inflammatory and statements like this are absolutely unacceptable.”
The US has condemned the forceful comments and Netanyahu urged to reject them. Smotrich is one of several coalition members to clash with the US since the premier returned to power at the head of a right-wing religious coalition in late December.
The US condemnation pointed to further growing frustration in Washington with Israel after the Biden administration expressed its displeasure over the deadly Huwara riots, and called on Israel to prosecute the perpetrators and compensate the dozens of Palestinians who died. Property was destroyed.
smotrich is set to visit Washington to speak at the Israel Bonds conference next week, but the White House said Thursday that US government officials would not meet with him.
In the on-stage interview on Wednesday, Smotrich was asked about a recent rampage through Huwara by a group of Israeli ultranationalists, which left one person dead, dozens injured, and several homes destroyed. More businesses were burned, in retaliation for the terrorist attack earlier that day.
Residents pray as cars and houses burn in the West Bank city of Huwara on February 26, 2023. (Screenshot/Twitter; Used in accordance with section 27A of the Copyright Act)
Smotrich stated that he was against civilians carrying out such retaliatory strikes and believed that the military should have done so instead.
“I think Huwara village needs to be wiped out. I think the State of Israel should do it,” Smotrich said.
He said “God forbid,” that the work should not be done by private citizens. He condemned the violence, saying, “We must not be dragged into anarchy in which citizens take the law into their own hands.”
As the condemnation poured in, Smotrich issued a statement saying the media was trying to “distort” his comments. He claimed that Huwara is a “hostile village” where residents throw stones and shoot at Israelis every day and that he supports a “disembodied response” by the IDF against the town for every act of terrorism in order to establish resistance. Are.
He appears to have removed the clarification, but later in the day wrote, “So no doubt about it, I did not mean to wipe out Huwara village, but in a targeted manner against terrorists and supporters of terrorism living there.” had to act and charge them a heavy price to restore security [Jewish] area residents. ,
Israeli army on Friday clashed with hundreds Left-wing Israeli activists trying to enter Huwara on a solidarity march. Footage from the scene showed soldiers scuffling with marchers and in several cases stun grenades were thrown.
In addition to the violence in the West Bank, the Netanyahu-led government is facing a massive setback on its plans to overhaul the judicial system both at home and internationally.
