Smotrich's statements on Jordan, Palestine 'offensive,' says US Embassy

Jordan

Published: 2023-03-21 14:20

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 05:30


Editor: Dana Sharayri

Smotrich's statements on Jordan, Palestine 'offensive,' says US Embassy
Smotrich's statements on Jordan, Palestine 'offensive,' says US Embassy

The US Embassy in Jordan said Tuesday that the latest statements made by the Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and the display of an inaccurate map in Paris are “offensive.”

In response to a question by Roya regarding Smotrich's latest comments and the United States' stance on that, an official from the US Embassy said: “The Palestinians have a rich history and culture, and the United States greatly values our partnership with the Palestinian people.”

The official added that according to President Biden’s comments last summer in Bethlehem, the United States remains committed to “two states for two peoples.”

The official concluded, however, that the US welcomes Israel’s reaffirmation of the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, reiterating its commitment to its strategic partnership with Jordan.


Also Read: Jordan accuses Smotrich of 'peace treaty violations'


Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates affirmed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the use of the Israeli Occupation Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich of a map of the Israeli Occupation that includes Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories, in what represents a violation of international norms and the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty.

Smotrich shared the image of the map during his participation in an event held Sunday in Paris.

The official spokesperson for the Jordanian Foreign ministry Sinan Majali said that it condemns the "racist and extremist inciting statements made by the extremist Israeli minister against the Palestinian people, their right to exist, and their historical rights in their independent and sovereign state on the Palestinian national soil," and warned of the danger of these actions.

The ministry called on the international community to condemn the Israeli Occupation minister's actions and statements, which also represent a violation of human values and principles.

Majali said that the ministry stresses the need for the Israeli Occupation government to take a clear stance regarding these extremist actions, and the hateful statements.

The ministry affirmed that it will take all necessary political and legal measures against such acts.

The ministry stressed that the actions and statements of this hateful extremist do not undermine Jordan and do not detract from the rights of the Palestinian people, but rather show the world the injustice to which the Palestinian people are exposed to.

Earlier Monday, Smotrich said that "there is no such thing as the Palestinian people."

He claimed that the idea of the "Palestinian people" is an "invention that is less than 100 years old," according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

He continued saying "this is the truth which must be heard by the White House."

Smotrich also said that "one has to tell the truth without succumbing to the lies and distortions of history, and without succumbing to the hypocrisy of the BDS movement and pro-Palestinian organizations."

Earlier this month, Smotrich made statements about "wiping out" the town of Hawara in Nablus.

He later claimed that those remarks were a "slip of the tongue" and came out amid "a surge of feelings."