The Israeli minister's remarks are part of a reported history of offensive statements against the Palestinians. Last month, he called for a Palestinian town to be “erased' after radical Jewish settlers rampaged through the area in response to a shooting.
FILE-Bezalel Smotrich, Israels finance minister, greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, during a news conference to present a cost of living plan on Jan. 11. 2023. A firebrand Israeli minister claimed there’s "no such thing" as a Palestinian people as Israel's new coalition government, its most hard-line ever, plowed ahead on Monday with a part of its plan to overhaul the judiciary.
As the negotiators were issuing a joint communique, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivered a speech in Paris saying the notion of a Palestinian people was artificial. Israel's Foreign Ministry on Monday evening released a statement affirming that it is committed to the countries' 1994 peace agreement.
His remarks on Palestinians were reminiscent of those made by late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir that caused an uproar in 1969. She later told The New York Times that she meant there had never been a Palestinian nation. But critics say the comments continue to tarnish her legacy. The upcoming period is sensitive because large numbers of Jewish and Muslim faithful pour into Jerusalem’s Old City, the emotional heart of the conflict and a flashpoint for violence, increasing friction points.
The heightened tensions with the Palestinians coincide with mass demonstrations inside Israel against Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judicial system.
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