Jordan and the European Union have called on the Israeli government to reject recent statements by its finance minister that included insults to Jordan and Palestine.
This came during a phone call on Wednesday evening between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
A statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that Jordan warned Israel of the danger of the "racist extremist" ideology that manifested itself in a "sickening recklessness" in the remarks of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The Israeli finance minister recently spoke at an evening organized by an extremist Zionist group in Paris, from a pulpit on which hung a map of Israel that includes the Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian territories. The Israeli minister denied the existence of the Palestinians as a people and as individuals.
Safadi called on the international community to take "a clear and direct stance against hate speech and incitement that fuel violence and conflict in occupied Palestine and violate common human norms and values."
He stressed that "the Israeli government bears responsibility for hate speech, racist incitement and the disgusting actions of the Israeli finance minister and its consequences, and it must declare its rejection explicitly and clearly."
Dangerous and unacceptable
For his part, Borrell described Smotrich's remarks as "dangerous and unacceptable," according to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
He stressed "the need for the Israeli government to take a clear position confirming that these statements do not represent it."
He recalled the European Union's position rejecting "all unilateral Israeli measures, and adhering to the two-state solution as a way to achieve peace."
Jordan's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday on a proposal to expel Israel's ambassador from Amman in response to Smotrich's use of a map of Israel that includes the kingdom and the Palestinian territories, and his denial of the existence of the Palestinian people.
The vote came two days after Israel's ambassador to Oman, Eitan Surkis, was summoned to the foreign ministry in protest at Smotrich's action.
The Israeli finance minister's comments drew sharp international criticism, even from Washington, which deemed them "insulting" and "dangerous."