WANA (Nov 13) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned remarks by a minister in the Israeli cabinet regarding the annexation of the West Bank to the occupied territories.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei denounced statements made by Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, on annexing the West Bank, calling it a clear indication of the regime’s racist, expansionist, and aggressive nature. Baqaei stated that Israel’s formation and expansion have been rooted in the usurpation of Palestinian land, as well as the killing and forced displacement of Palestinians.

 

Referring to Israel’s colonial policies over the past 76 years, particularly the continuous occupation of Palestinian territories and expansion of Israeli settlements, Baqaei described these actions as part of a genocidal plan that has been implemented with unprecedented brutality, especially over the past year.

 

Baqaei emphasized the legal and moral responsibility of all states to prevent and punish genocide, as well as to counter war crimes and crimes against humanity. He expressed regret over the United States and Germany’s obstruction of efforts to hold Israeli leaders accountable in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. He called for decisive action from the global community and the UN Security Council to halt genocide in Palestine and to stop the occupying regime’s acts of aggression in Lebanon and West Asia.

 

Baqaei stressed that an entity with no regard for international law principles or the UN Charter, and that consistently seeks to undermine the United Nations and its norms, does not deserve membership in this organization.

 

The spokesperson asserted that the oppression and crimes of the occupiers will not weaken the determination of the Palestinian people to continue their struggle for their natural and legal right to self-determination and liberation from military occupation and apartheid.