Palestinian foreign ministry condemns Smotrich remarks as call for escalation in West Bank

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has warned of the dangers posed by statements from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he called for launching a war on the West Bank, repeating what occurred in Gaza, and dismantling the Palestinian National Authority.

In an official statement posted on its X platform account, the ministry said these calls represent an explicit invitation to escalate aggression and commit further crimes against the Palestinian people. The ministry added that the remarks reveal the true intentions behind Israeli plans to pursue annexation and forced displacement, undermining the possibility of an independent Palestinian state—actions that flagrantly violate international legitimacy, international law, and signed agreements.

The ministry stressed that these inciteful and unacceptable statements, including threats of a comprehensive war on the West Bank and the destruction of Palestinian cities and camps, reflect the policies of the Israeli government involving killing, displacement, settlement expansion, land confiscation, and attempts to impose new realities by force in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The ministry emphasized that the Palestinian National Authority and the institutions of the State of Palestine are part of the Palestinian national project and represent key achievements toward realizing an independent, sovereign state. It warned that any attempt to undermine or dismantle them would be the full responsibility of the Israeli government and its consequences.

The ministry further warned that continued international silence regarding such incitement and aggressive policies encourages the Israeli government to proceed with its plans, pushing the entire region toward greater tension, violence, and instability.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council and the US administration, to assume their political and legal responsibilities and take immediate and concrete measures to compel Israel to halt its aggression against the Palestinian people, stop settlement, annexation, and displacement, and protect the Palestinian people and their national institutions.

The ministry affirmed that the path to security, stability, and peace does not lie through war, killing, displacement, or settlement, but through ending the Israeli occupation and realizing the independence of the State of Palestine along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

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