Israeli Minister Denies Existence of Palestinian People

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has sparked controversy by saying there is no Palestinian history or culture and no such thing as a Palestinian people. Smotrich, who previously called for a Palestinian town to be "erased", made the remarks during a conference speech in France. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the comments, saying they amounted to incitement to violence. The West Bank has seen a surge of confrontations over the past year, with near-daily Israeli military raids and escalating violence by Jewish settlers, amid a spate of attacks by Palestinians.