Arab League: Netanyahu remark on establishing Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia a ‘detachment from reality’

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the closing press conference of the joint extraordinary leaders summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh on November 11, 2024. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the closing press conference of the joint extraordinary leaders summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh on November 11, 2024. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

The Arab League says remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appearing to suggest the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi soil show “a complete detachment from reality.”

“The logic behind them is unacceptable and reflects a complete detachment from reality,” the regional bloc’s chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit says in a statement, adding that ideas like the one aired by Netanyahu during a recent media interview “are nothing more than mere fantasies or illusions.”

Netanyahu appeared to be joking on Thursday when he responded to an interviewer on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 who mistakenly said “Saudi state” instead of “Palestinian state,” before correcting himself.

Netanyahu was also quick to correct anchor Yaakov Bardugo, but quipped back that “the Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”

Bardugo responded that it was an interesting idea that shouldn’t be “ruled out,” and Netanyahu repeated himself, saying Saudi Arabia does have “a lot of territory.”

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