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

The Palestinian foreign ministry has strongly condemned Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich's remarks, calling them an explicit invitation to escalate violence and annexation in the West Bank. The ministry's official statement warns that Smotrich's calls for launching a war on the West Bank, repeating past actions in Gaza, and dismantling the Palestinian National Authority represent a clear threat to the Palestinian people.

They argue that these statements undermine the possibility of an independent Palestinian state and violate international law. The ministry emphasizes that the Palestinian National Authority and the institutions of the State of Palestine are vital to the national project and that any attempt to dismantle them would be the sole responsibility of the Israeli government.

They urge the international community, particularly the UN Security Council and the US administration, to act against Israel's aggression, settlement expansion, and displacement of Palestinians. The ministry insists that the path to peace lies in ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.