Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Arab countries have condemned the “racist comments” by Israeli finance minister Betzalel Smotrich calling for the demolition of the Palestinian village Huwara.
The UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry and International Cooperation said they rejected all practices that contradicted human and moral values and principles.
On Wednesday, Smotrich responded to reporters saying the village had to be destroyed following the violence. He later claimed the statement was taken out of context. Smotrich said that he believed the village had turned hostile and was becoming a terrorist haven.
The UAE ministry highlighted the need to confront violence and hate speech. The ministry said it was necessary to strengthen the values of human coexistence and tolerance to decrease instability in the region.
Jordan condemns the comments
Meanwhile, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Smotrich’s comments, terming them inflammatory.
Ambassador Sinan Majali, the ministry spokesperson, said the calls for violence have negative consequences and violate international humanitarian law.
Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the comments and said that they represented an unacceptable and dangerous incitement to violence.
