A fiery Israeli minister said there is “no such thing” as a Palestinian population. As Israel’s latest coalition government, its most extreme ever, continued Monday with a portion of its plan to overhaul the judiciary.
The coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that it was pushing for a key component of the overhaul. This would give the coalition control over who becomes justice or a judge, before the parliament goes on a month-long vacation next week.
This development was made possible by the mediation of U.S., Jordanian, and Egyptian officials. It came just a day after a Palestinian and Israeli delegation met in Egypt. They pledged to lower tensions ahead of sensitive holidays.
It was a reflection of the small influence that the Biden administration seems to have over Israel’s new far-right government. It also raised questions about efforts to lower tensions inside Israel, as well as with the Palestinians, in advance of the sensitive holiday season.
While the negotiators were issuing an official communique, the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Shmotrich spoke in Paris denying that there was a Palestinian nation.
“There is no Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. He said that there is no Palestinian language in France on Sunday night. He spoke at a tribute event for an Israeli-French right-wing activist, who denies the existence of a Palestinian state and supported the annexation the West Bank. The lectern was decorated with an image of Israel showing the map that included the occupied West Bank and Gaza, as well as Jordan.
The Foreign Ministry of Jordan stated that Smotrich’s appearance in Jordan with the icon was “reckless and inflamatory” and violated international norms as well as the peace treaty between the two countries.
Later, it summoned Israel’s ambassador to protest Smotrich’s comments.
Israel’s new far-right government has stoked tensions.
Ronen Zvulun / AP
Ahmed Abu Zaid, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli minister’s comments “deny facts of geography… (and) undermine efforts aimed to achieve calm between the Palestinian-Israeli sides.”
The Foreign Ministry of Israel released Monday night a statement affirming its commitment to the 1994 peace accord between Israel and Palestine.
The statement stated that “there has been no change to the position of Israel, which recognises the territorial integrity of Hashemite kingdom,”
Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian Prime Minister, said that Smotrich’s comments were “conclusive evidence” of the racist Zionist ideology that runs the parties in the current Israeli government.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s chief of foreign policy, stated that the remarks made by the minister “certainly cannot” be tolerated.
“I must deplore this unacceptable comment. After chairing a meeting with EU defense and foreign ministers, Borrell said that the comment was unacceptable, disrespectful, dangerous, and counterproductive. Imagine if a Palestinian leader had said that the state of Israel doesn’t exist. What would have happened?
Borrell urged the Israeli government to “disavow these comments and to begin working with all parties in order to defuse tensions.”
Smotrich is a far-right settler leader who supports Palestinian statehood. He has made offensive statements about the Palestinians in the past. Smotrich called for Hawara, a Palestinian settlement in the West Bank, to be “wiped out” following a massacre that saw two Israelis killed in a shooting attack. After an international outcry, Smotrich later apologised.
His comments on Palestinians reminded me of the remarks made by Golda Meir, late Israeli Prime Minister, in 1969 that caused a commotion. Later, she told The New York Times that her intention was to say there had never been any Palestinian nation. Critics say her legacy is being tarnished by the negative comments.
A Palestinian gunman opened fire in Hawara on Sunday, inflicting serious injuries to an Israeli man.
Smotrich’s comments and the new violence highlight the difficult challenges ahead of calming tensions after a year filled with deadly violence in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and West Bank. Over 200 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in West Bank and East Jerusalem. More than 40 Israelis and foreigners have also been killed in Palestinian attacks.
Sunday’s summit took place before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins this week. Ramadan coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover, which will be held in April.
This sensitive period will be marked by large numbers of Jewish and Muslim believers flooding into Jerusalem’s Old City. It is the emotional heart of conflict and a flashpoint of violence.
A large number of Jews will also be expected to visit the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem, a Jerusalem holy site that is known to Muslims and Jews as the Temple Mount. This is a provocative act by the Palestinians.
In 2021, clashes at the site led to an 11-day war by Israel and Hamas. Hamas is the ruler of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli police shut down the offices of a Palestinian radio station located in east Jerusalem on Monday. They claimed it was working for the official Palestinian Authority media, in violation of 1994 interim agreements between Israel, Palestine. The PA condemned this closure.
In 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem as well as the Gaza Strip. These territories are coveted by the Palestinians as a future independent state.
