JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Seeking to ease the ugly diplomatic quarrel with the US over Finance Minister Smotrich’s upcoming visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu offered support for Smotrich’s clarification of his statements, while hinting that US ambassador Nides also needed to tone down his criticism.
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“It is important for all of us to work to tone down the rhetoric and lower the temperature,” Netanyahu said Saturday night. “That includes speaking out forcefully against inappropriate statements and even correcting our own statements when we misspeak or when our words are taken out of context,” said Netanyahu.
“That is why I want to thank Minister Bezalel Smotrich for making clear that his choice of words regarding the vigilante attacks on Hawara following the murder of the Yaniv brothers was inappropriate and that he is strongly opposed to intentionally harming innocent civilians,” continued Netanyahu.
“While Minister Smotrich clarified his position, I am still waiting to hear a condemnation from the Palestinian Authority for the murder of the Yaniv brothers. And Israel is waiting for the international community to insist that the PA condemn that attack,” he added.
“Not only has it not done so, it continues to turn a blind eye to the PA’s rampant incitement, to the disgusting spectacle of Palestinians handing out sweets to celebrate terror attacks against Jews and to the official PA pay-to-slay policy, in which the PA pays terrorists to murder Jews.”
“The international community’s silence in the face of Palestinian support for terrorism must finally come to an end,” concluded Netanyahu.
Referring to the US ambassador’s alleged statement about Smotrich that “He has a flight to Washington, and if I could, I would throw him off the plane,” Netanyahu wrote in his Hebrew tweet that”None of us are without mistakes, including foreign diplomats.”