ISLAMABAD (PEN) : On Friday, Pakistan strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments about the potential establishment of a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, according to the Foreign Office, as reported by ARY News.
During a weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan described Netanyahu’s remarks as “irresponsible, provocative, and thoughtless.” He emphasized that the statement not only insulted but also undermined the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state on their rightful land. He also expressed Pakistan’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, condemning any attempt to diminish the country’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
The controversy arose when Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, suggested the possibility of a Palestinian state being established on Saudi soil. Netanyahu appeared to joke about this idea on Thursday, responding to an interviewer on Channel 14, a pro-Netanyahu network, who mistakenly referred to a “Saudi state” instead of a “Palestinian state,” before correcting the error.
In response, Saudi Arabia firmly rejected Netanyahu’s remarks, with the Saudi Foreign Ministry issuing a statement on Sunday, expressing their categorical opposition to any efforts to displace Palestinians from their land. While the statement mentioned Netanyahu’s name, it did not directly address his comments about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia.
