Ramallah: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned Sunday against the Israeli occupation's calls to unleash a war on the West Bank, replicate the Gaza scenario there and dismantle the Palestinian National Authority.
In a statement, the ministry said remarks by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for such measures constituted an escalation of Israel's policies of aggression, occupation, annexation and displacement.
The ministry said the remarks expose the Israeli government's intentions to undermine the prospects for establishing an independent Palestinian state and impose a fait accompli by force in the occupied Palestinian territory, in flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions and signed agreements.
The ministry cautioned that persistent international silence over the inflammatory remarks and Israeli policies risks encouraging the Israeli government to press ahead with its plans, further pushing the region toward tension, violence and instability.
The ministry called on the international community, primarily the UN Security Council and the US administration, to fulfill their political and legal responsibilities by undertaking immediate and concrete measures to halt Israel's actions against the Palestinian people, stop settlement expansion, annexation and displacement, and protect the Palestinian people and their national institutions.
