The United States and France on Tuesday denounced Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's remarks denying the existence of the Palestinian people and saying it was "an imaginary invention that is only 100 years old."
The US State Department described the Israeli finance minister's remarks as "insulting" and "dangerous".
Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters: "We consider these statements to be not only inaccurate, but also insulting and dangerous."
The Palestinians have "a rich history and culture, and the United States values our partnership with the Palestinian people," the spokesman said.
Patel also denounced the minister's behavior, speaking on a podium on which was a map of Israel with expanded borders that include Jordan and the Palestinian territories.
Irresponsible statements
For its part, the French Foreign Ministry denounced the minister's "irresponsible" statements, saying in a statement: "We call on people appointed to senior positions in the Israeli government to show the required dignity, respect the dignity of others and refrain from any actions or statements that contribute to the escalation of tension."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday called on the Israeli government to repudiate the finance minister's remarks, telling reporters in Brussels that Smotrich's comments "certainly cannot be condoned."
"I must condemn Minister Smotrich's unacceptable comments. It's wrong, it's disrespectful, it's dangerous, and it's useless to say such things in a really tense situation."
Smotrich had denied in statements, during his participation in an evening in the French capital, the existence of the Palestinian people, and said that it is "an imaginary invention that did not exceed 100 years old," after statements in which he called for the "erasure" of the town of Huwara in Nablus.