Smotrich’s Dangerous Statements Are an Explicit Call to Escalate the War of Destruction, Displacement and Annexation in the West Bank

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemns Israeli Minister Smotrich’s dangerous calls for war in the occupied West Bank, the replication of Israel’s destruction in Gaza, and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. His statements are an explicit call for escalation, annexation and displacement, aimed at undermining the prospects of an independent Palestinian state.
Such incitement is a direct reflection of the policies pursued by the Israeli government through killing, displacement, settlement expansion, land seizure, and attempts to impose a new reality by force in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Palestinian Authority and the institutions of the State of Palestine are integral to the Palestinian national project and to the realization of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state. Any attempt to undermine or dismantle them carries full responsibility for its consequences.
The Ministry warns that continued international silence in the face of such incitement only emboldens the Israeli government to advance its policies and pushes the region toward further instability.
The Ministry calls on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council and the United States, to assume their political and legal responsibilities and take immediate, concrete measures to compel Israel to end its crimes, halt settlement expansion, annexation and displacement, and protect the Palestinian people and their national institutions.
There can be no security, stability or peace through war, killing, displacement and settlement expansion. The path to peace lies in ending the Israeli occupation and realizing the independence of the State of Palestine on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.