Saudi Arabia issued a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, The National reported, rejecting his tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the kingdom could host millions of Palestinians on its territory and sparking a broader diplomatic confrontation.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an "extremist, occupying mentality" after Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 14, "The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," in response to questions over the controversial US plan to relocate Gazans temporarily in order to rebuild Gaza.
In a strongly worded statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry criticized what it described as ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza without directly addressing Netanyahu's specific comments about relocating Palestinians to Saudi territory.
The United Arab Emirates and Egypt joined in condemning Netanyahu's proposal, according to The National. The Saudi statement emphasized that Palestinians have deep historical and legal connections to their land.
"The kingdom stresses its categorical rejection to such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to," the Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said.
The ministry added that more than 160,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly children and women, have been killed or injured. "They are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes," the statement continued.
The proposal has drawn particularly sharp criticism from within Saudi Arabia itself. Yousef bin Trad Al-Saadoun, a member of the Saudi Shura Council, responded with a pointed counter-suggestion, Middle East Eye reported. Al-Saadoun proposed that President Donald Trump should consider relocating Israelis to Alaska or "after annexing it," to Greenland.
Writing in the Saudi newspaper Okaz, Al-Saadoun delivered a stern message about regional sovereignty. "The Zionists and their supporters must realize well that they will not be able to lure the Saudi leadership and government into the traps of media maneuvers and false political pressures," he wrote, according to Middle East Eye.
The Shura Council member criticized what he characterized as the US approach to Middle East policy. "The official foreign policy of the United States will seek the illegal occupation of sovereign land and the ethnic cleansing of its inhabitants, which are the Israeli approach and are considered crimes against humanity," Al-Saadoun said in his Okaz column.
He further argued that "this plan was certainly formulated and approved by the Zionist entity, and was handed over to their ally to read from the White House podium," Middle East Eye reported.
UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, declaring the kingdom's sovereignty a "red line" and rejecting any infringement on Palestinian rights.
Al Marar called for an end to construction in communities in Judea and Samaria, warning such activities threaten regional stability. He urged the UN Security Council to address practices that violate international law.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry's comprehensive statement outlined its position in stark terms, emphasizing the broader regional implications. "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," the statement read, according to The National.
The ministry forcefully rejected what it characterized as attempts to shift focus from the situation in Gaza. In its statement, it emphasized that "this extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine and their emotional, historical and legal connection to this land."
The statement took particular issue with the humanitarian impact of recent events, noting that Israeli actions had "completely destroyed the Gaza Strip, killed and injured more than 160,000, most of them children and women, without the slightest human feeling or moral responsibility."
Addressing longer-term peace prospects, the Saudi statement pointed to specific obstacles: "The proponents of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace by refusing peaceful coexistence, rejecting the peace initiatives adopted by the Arab countries." The ministry noted these actions had affected Palestinians "for more than 75 years, with disregard to the truth, justice, law and the values established in the United Nations Charter."
The statement concluded with a firm position on Palestinian rights, declaring they "will remain firmly established and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes." It emphasized that "lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two state solution."
