Saudi Arabia has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for using the lands of the kingdom to establish a Palestinian state, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement on Sunday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of attempting to “distract attention” from Israeli ongoing “crimes” in Gaza, including “ethnic cleansing.”
“The Kingdom has confirmed that the Palestinians have rights to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants whose hopes for brutal Israeli occupation could be banished at any time.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
On Thursday, Netanyahu responded to an interviewer on Israeli Channel 14 and mistakenly said it was “Saudi state” rather than “Palestine.”
“Saudi Arabia can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia. They have a lot of land over there,” Netanyahu said.
The interviewer replied that it was an idea worth exploring.
The exchange elicited angry responses from Arab countries, including Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, and won the six-country Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“These dangerous and irresponsible statements support the Israeli occupation forces’ approach to international law, the laws and treaties of the United Nations, and their oppression of the sovereignty of the state,” said GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi. Ta.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the “brother countries” for condemning Netanyahu’s comments.
The debate on the fate of the Palestinians in Gaza has already been improved by previous shock proposals from US President Donald Trump. The proposal has been roundly condemned by Arab leaders amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.