ANKARA: (Bernama-AA) Saudi Arabia on Sunday (Feb 9) strongly condemned the recent statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had called for the displacement of Palestinians to the kingdom.
In an official statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its "categorical rejection" of such rhetoric, emphasising that "the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes."
According to Anadolu Agency, the kingdom also stated that "this extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine," and asserted that Israel "does not think that the Palestinian people deserve to live in the first place.”
"The proponents of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace,” the ministry said, emphasising that Israel has been "systematically practicing injustice towards the Palestinian people for more than 75 years.”
Reiterating its commitment to a peaceful resolution, Saudi Arabia asserted that "the right of the Palestinian People will remain firmly established and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes.”
"Lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution,” it added.
On Thursday, Netanyahu suggested that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.
Earlier, on Feb 4, US President Donald Trump said Washington will "take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into "the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. - Bernama-AA
