Reaction from Egypt to Israeli Minister Smotrich's West Bank and Annexation Statements

A written statement was published by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the statements of Israel's far-right Finance Minister Smotrich.

It was stated that Israeli officials' statements about weakening the Palestinian administration by expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank were flatly rejected.

The statement called for "All unilateral and tension-escalating practices must be stopped" and emphasized that the current historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem should be respected.

It was reminded that Egypt supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and the borders of June 4, 1967.

The statement also condemned Israel's violations in the occupied West Bank and reacted to the raids carried out by the Israelis, who usurped Palestinian lands, against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, accompanied by police protection.

It warned against restrictions on Palestinians and their possible consequences on the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Speaking to Yedioth Ahronot newspaper, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded that the West Bank be subject to a similar destruction to the Gaza Strip, which they targeted with attacks despite the ceasefire, and that the Gaza Strip and the south of Lebanon be annexed.

Minister Smotrich, who frequently voiced his call for the annexation of 80 percent of the West Bank, said that he believed that they should start a new war and inflict similar destruction on the West Bank as they did in Gaza and "eliminate" the Palestinian Authority.

Smotrich said, "I would very much like to see the annexation of the Yellow Line in Gaza and the area up to the Litani River in Lebanon."

While the Israeli army occupies approximately 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, the majority of the Palestinian population struggles to survive in limited areas outside the occupation.

On the other hand, Israel launched intense air attacks on Lebanon on March 2 and occupied dozens of towns in the south of the country.