Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned on Tuesday, 21 March 2023 the statements of the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich who denied the existence of the Palestinians, stressing that they reflect an extremist, racist, exclusionary ideology.

“Israeli occupation is the basis of evil and the region will not enjoy stability unless the Israeli occupation ends.” Safadi said during a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, stressing that killing the two-state solution will perpetuate apartheid and lead to more tension and the outbreak of conflict.”

Safadi called on the Israeli government to clearly declare that the Minister of Finance’s speech does not represent it.

He stressed that the right of the Palestinian people to exist is not canceled by extremist statements that the world stands against.

Far-right Israeli minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich dismissed on Monday the existence of a Palestinian people during a speech he delivered in Paris.

“no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people,” he said.

In response, The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs summoned the Israeli ambassador in Amman and informed him that Israel’s Smotrich statements represented an extremist racist act and a violation of international norms and the Jordanian-Israeli peace accord.