Wassim Seif El Din and Ahmed Asmar
10 February 2025•Update: 10 February 2025
BEIRUT
Lebanon joined most Arab countries on Monday in denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry affirmed Beirut's rejection of any displacement of the Palestinian people from their land.
It reiterated support for Saudi Arabia "in confronting everything that threatens its security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The ministry stressed Lebanon's "rejection of any attempts to displace or settle Palestinians, especially in Lebanon," and called for "a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution, international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative issued by the Beirut's Arab Summit in 2002, which enhances peace and stability in the region."
On Thursday, Netanyahu suggested that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” he said.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday vehemently rejected Netanyahu’s suggestion and underlined the right of the Palestinians to their land.
Netanyahu’s comments have drawn a wave of condemnations from across the Arab world, including Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain.
US President Donald Trump also repeatedly suggested that Washington would “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
