DUBAI: Arab nations have condemned what they say were “racist comments” by Israeli Minister of Finance, Betzalel Smotrich calling for the destruction of the Palestinian village of Huwara.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) said the UAE rejected all practices that contradicted moral and human values and principles, state news agncy WAM reported.
On Wednesday Smotrich responded to journalists saying the village had to be demolished following the violence. He later claimed the comments were taken out of context, explaining he believed the village had become “hostile” and was turning into a terrorist haven.
The UAE ministry underscored the need to confront hate speech and violence and said it was important to strengthen “the values of tolerance and human coexistence” in an effort to reduce instability in the region.
Meanwhile Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Smotrich’s “inflammatory” comments.
The ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Sinan Majali, said the calls for violence “portend serious consequences and represent a violation of international humanitarian law,” state news agency Petra reported.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the minister’s comments in the “strongest terms”, in a statement issued on Friday.
The statement said the Israeli comments represented a “dangerous and unacceptable incitement to violence”, adding that they contradicted “all laws, customs and moral values, and lacks the responsibility that any official holding an official position should have”.
All countries said it was imperative to support all regional and international efforts to advance the Middle East Peace Process, end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution, and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.