Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's suggestion that the kingdom's land be used to establish a Palestinian state, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of attempting to "divert attention" from Israel's ongoing "crimes" in Gaza, including "ethnic cleansing."
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciates the condemnation, disapproval and total rejection announced by the brotherly countries towards what Benjamin Netanyahu stated regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land and the Kingdom values the positions that emphasize the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the Arab and Muslim countries," the ministry said in a post on X.
On Thursday, Netanyahu responded to an interviewer on an Israeli media channel who misspoke by saying "Saudi state" instead of "Palestinian state," Al Jazeera reported.
"The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," Al Jazeera quoted Netanyahu as saying. The interviewer replied that it was an idea worth exploring.
Arab States Outraged
The exchange drew angry reactions from Arab states, including Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq, as well as the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
"These dangerous and irresponsible statements confirm the approach of the Israeli occupation forces in their disrespect for international and UN laws and treaties and the sovereignty of states," Al Jazeera quoted GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi as saying.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry thanked the "brotherly countries" for denouncing Netanyahu's remarks.
Earlier, several world leaders denounced US President Donald Trump's announcement to "take over" Gaza. Trump has also said Saudi Arabia would not require the formation of a Palestinian state as a precondition to normalising ties with Israel, a claim Riyadh has repeatedly denied, as per Al Jazeera.
Israel-Palestine crisis has killed at least 61,700 Palestinians including about 18,000 children, and wrecked much of the area's infrastructure. More than 14,000 more people are missing and are presumed to be dead, as per Al Jazeera.
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