Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denied the existence of a Palestinian people or nationhood over the weekend, prompting a rebuke from the United States just weeks after calling for a Palestinian town to be “erased.”
Smotrich, a Jewish nationalist, argued that the idea of Palestinian nationhood was invented in the past century in response to the Zionist movement to found modern-day Israel. “Who was the first Palestinian king? What language do the Palestinians have? Was there ever a Palestinian currency? Is there a Palestinian history or culture? Nothing. There is no such thing with a Palestinian,” Smotrich said at a speech in Paris.
A spokesperson for Smotrich said the flag used at the event he attended was “set decoration” put there by the conference organizers and that the minister was only a guest, according to Reuters. Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman on Monday in protest, citing Smotrich’s use of the map.
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