Indonesia censures Israeli minister who denies existence of Palestinians

Jakarta, Mar 22 (EFE).- Indonesia on Wednesday condemned Israel’s far-right finance minister after he denied the existence of Palestinian people.

The ultra-nationalist Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday participated in a tribute in Paris to the prominent right-wing Zionist activist and former head of Likud in France, Jacques Kupfer, at which he said that there is “no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people.”

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning that the country “strongly condemns the position of the Israeli Minister of Finance who denies the existence of Palestine and denounces the existence and territorial sovereignty of Jordan.”

“Indonesia continues to consistently support the struggle of the Palestinian people and respect Jordan’s territorial sovereignty,” it added.

The country, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, has a strong historical relationship with Palestine and refuses to formally recognize the state of Israel until a peace agreement is reached between the two Middle Eastern countries.

Jakarta’s condemnation joins that of other countries such as France, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, which last night summoned the Israeli ambassador in Amman, and institutions such as the Arab League. EFE

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