DUBAI: Arab countries and international community have strongly condemned racist statements of the Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, which called for the destruction of the Palestinian village of Hawara.

The Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, has underlined the Kingdom’s complete rejection of such racist and irresponsible statements which reflect the massive violence and extremism the Israeli occupation entity is exercising against the brotherly Palestinians, urging the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to prevent such hideous acts, end escalation and provide the necessary protection for the civilians.

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi also condemned the statement. The Secretary General stressed the need to confront hate speech and violence, stressing the importance of promoting the values of tolerance and human coexistence within the efforts exerted to reduce escalation and instability caused by the Israeli occupation forces in the region.

Furthermore, the secretary general affirmed the firm stances of the GCC states towards the Palestinian issue which is the first issue of Arabs and Muslims, reiterating support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The UN human rights chief Volker Turk, speaking before the Human Rights Council in Geneva slammed Smotrich’s comments as an unfathomable statement of incitement to violence and hostility.

Turk, who formally presented a report on the grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territories during the session, also called for an end to the violence.

On Wednesday last Smotrich responded to journalists saying the village had to be demolished following the violence. A French foreign ministry statement also condemned the comments as unacceptable, irresponsible and unworthy coming from a member of the Israeli government.

“These comments only fuel hatred and fuel the spiral of current violence,” the statement added, appealing for calm. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) said the UAE rejected all practices that contradicted moral and human values and principles.

The UAE ministry underscored the need to confront hate speech and violence and said it was important to strengthen the values of tolerance and human coexistence in an effort to reduce instability in the region.

Qatar described Smotrich’s comments as hateful and provocative and said it considered them a serious incitement to a war crime.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned Smotrich’s inflammatory comments. The ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Sinan Majali said the calls for violence portend serious consequences and represent a violation of international humanitarian law.