Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the foreign ministers of the GCC had sent a joint letter to Secretary of State of the United States of America Antony Blinken, condemning Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich's statements calling for the destruction of the Palestinian village of Hawara and denying the existence of the Palestinian people. The secretary general said that the letter embodies the position of the leaders of the GCC countries regarding the Palestinian cause, which is a foremost cause of Arabs and Muslims, adding that the final statement of the 155th session of the GCC Ministerial Council, which was held on March 22, 2023, stressed the GCC's support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all Palestinian lands occupied since June 1967, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, that guarantees all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and rejects settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands. He said that the letter praised the American position which rejects these statements and urged the US to assume its responsibility in responding to all measures and statements that target the Palestinian people, adding that it also urged the American administration to carry out a role towards reaching a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict, based on the principles of international law and the Arab Peace Initiative. Albudaiwi stressed the GCC's condemnation of the inflammatory Israeli statements and violations of the Palestinian people's rights, including the crimes committed recently in the city and camp of Jenin, and in the towns of Hawara, Burin, Asira Al Qibliya and others, which claimed the lives of several martyrs and left dozens wounded, demolished homes and destroyed properties, and violated the sanctity of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque. Targeting the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem is an attempt at changing this city's legal status, demographic composition, and custodianship of the Islamic holy places.
