There is no such thing as the Palestinian people: Israel's Finance Minister

Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, made a scandalous statement. According to the news of the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Smotrich, who had a great reaction with his words that the Palestinian town of Huwwara should be "wiped off the face of the earth" a while ago, made statements that would attract reaction in the speech he gave at the commemoration of the former Chairman of the Likud Party, Zionist Jacques Kupfer, during his visit to Paris. "There is no such thing as Palestinians because there is no such thing as the Palestinian people. Who are the Palestinians? I am Palestinian," Smotrich said.

'THEY MADE A FAKE NATION'

Smotrich, who claimed that his family settled here before the establishment of Israel and that they and he were "real Palestinians", claimed that the Palestinians came to this geography with the wave of immigration in the 19th century and that some Arabs did not like it after the Jews returned to their lands according to the prophecies in the Bible. Smotrich said, "They produced a false nation and then tried to make a false claim to the land of Israel to fight Zionism. This is a historical and biblical truth. This truth should be heard by the Arabs in Israel. This truth is true in Israel. It must be heard by the confused Jewish people. This truth must be heard on the Elysee and in the White House. This truth must be heard around the world."

KNOWN FOR RACIAL DISCLAIMERS

In the coalition government established by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of 2022 in Israel, names such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who are known for their racist actions and discourses against Palestinians, and supporters of Jewish settlers, were appointed to critical positions. Finance Minister Smotrich had said that "Huwwara," the Palestinian town that was the target of mass attacks by Jewish settlers on February 26, "must be wiped out from the face of the earth". Smotrich, whose words received intense reactions in the international arena, was diplomatically isolated during his visits to the USA and France, and could not hold any official meetings.

'PALESTINIANS DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHTS TO INDEPENDENCE'

The commemoration ceremony of Jacques Kupfer in Paris could not be held in the center where it was originally planned due to the reactions, and was taken to another hall. The Israeli Minister interpreted this situation as "hatred of Israel is everywhere". Smotrich and other far-right figures who have come to the fore in Israeli politics recently argue that "There is no such people as Palestine, and therefore Palestinians do not have the right to independence."

(AA)