The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the visit of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reports.
The ministry characterized Smotrich as an "extremist fascist" known for anti-Palestinian remarks and criticized his visit to the illegal settlement of Psagot, built on "occupied Palestinian lands." The statement labeled the visit as a "new aggression against the Palestinian people," reflecting the ambitions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition to accelerate land grabs and deepen the annexation of the occupied West Bank. The ministry also condemned Smotrich's "racist" and "colonial" statements, as well as his attacks and accusations against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the international community and the US administration to exert pressure on the Israeli government, urging them to "stop the open war against the Palestinian people" and counter the encroachments of the Israeli far-right and extremist colonist followers on the Palestinian civilian population. The ministry expressed concern about the serious escalation of organized terror by the Israeli state.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Magne Hagesæter/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS