The dominion reiterated that ‘the Palestinian individuals have a proper to their land’ and can’t be ‘expelled’.
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that the dominion’s land be used to ascertain a Palestinian state.
In a press release on Sunday, the Saudi Overseas Ministry accused Netanyahu of making an attempt to “divert consideration” from Israel’s ongoing “crimes” in Gaza, together with “ethnic cleaning”.
“The dominion affirms that the Palestinian individuals have a proper to their land, and they don’t seem to be intruders or immigrants to it who will be expelled at any time when the brutal Israeli occupation needs,” stated the Overseas Ministry.
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciates the condemnation, disapproval and whole rejection introduced by the brotherly international locations in the direction of what Benjamin Netanyahu said concerning the displacement of the Palestinian individuals from their land and the Kingdom values the… pic.twitter.com/ebj2sVHx4w
— Overseas Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 9, 2025
On Thursday, Netanyahu responded to an interviewer on Israel’s Channel 14 who misspoke by saying “Saudi state” as an alternative of “Palestinian state”.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they’ve a number of land over there,” Netanyahu stated.
The interviewer replied that it was an thought price exploring.
The alternate drew angry reactions from Arab states, together with Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, in addition to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“These harmful and irresponsible statements affirm the strategy of the Israeli occupation forces of their disrespect for worldwide and UN legal guidelines and treaties and the sovereignty of states,” stated GCC Secretary-Basic Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
The Saudi Overseas Ministry thanked the “brotherly international locations” for denouncing Netanyahu’s remarks.
Discussions of the destiny of Palestinians in Gaza had already been upended by an earlier shock proposal from United States President Donald Trump for the US to “take over” and “personal” Gaza, resettling Palestinians elsewhere in a transfer that will quantity to ethnic cleaning. That suggestion, amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has additionally been roundly condemned by Arab leaders.
Trump has additionally stated Saudi Arabia wouldn’t require the formation of a Palestinian state as a precondition to normalise ties with Israel, a declare Riyadh has repeatedly denied.
Israel’s battle on Gaza has killed no less than 61,700 Palestinians together with about 18,000 children, and wrecked a lot of the enclave’s infrastructure. Greater than 14,000 more people are missing and are presumed to be lifeless.
The Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7 that sparked the battle killed 1,139 individuals and seized greater than 250 captives, dozens of whom are nonetheless believed to be within the enclave.
