News- Middle East: Iraq has strongly denounced the most recent remarks issued by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the so-called vision of "a Greater Israel," describing it as a clear provocation to regional sovereignty.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the remarks were “a blatant provocation against sovereignty, a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.”

Netanyahu’s remarks reveal “this entity's expansionist ambitions and confirm its efforts to destabilize” the peace and security across the West Asia region, it added.

The statement called for a clear and firm Muslim, Arab and international stance to confront the Israeli “expansionist agenda” and vicious policies.

The ministry further warned that these polices, coupled with a political discourse based on “expansionism and annexation, require effective action to put an end to the occupation's violations and halt the policy of impunity.”

Elsewhere in the statement, the ministry emphasized that these remarks come in parallel with the ongoing aggression by the Israeli occupying regime against the Palestinian people.

The statement comes after Netanyahu told Israeli media that he feels a deep connection to "this vision" of a “Greater Israel,” referring to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as well as parts of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, and described it as “a historical and spiritual mission.”

Separately, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the kingdom completely rejected the “settlement and expansionist ideas and projects” adopted by Israeli authorities.

“The Kingdom warns the international community against the Israeli occupation’s persistence in flagrant violations that undermine the foundations of international legitimacy, blatantly violate the sovereignty of states, and threaten regional and global security and peace,” the ministry said.

Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi also condemned the remarks, calling them a blatant attack on the sovereignty and unity of Arab states.

He warned that such statements pose a direct threat to regional and global stability and reaffirmed the GCC’s categorical rejection of any attempts to undermine the territorial integrity of Arab countries.

Albudaiwi urged the international community to take a firm stand against provocative declarations and to protect the region from measures that could inflame tensions and jeopardize prospects for a just and comprehensive peace.

Sufian Qudah, a Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman, also warned that these “claims and illusions” fuel the ongoing “spiral of violence and conflict.”

Qudah called on the international community to take immediate action to “stop all Israeli provocative actions and statements that threaten the stability of the region and international peace and security."

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, denouncing any attempt to seize parts of sovereign Arab states to create the so-called "Greater Israel."

The General Secretariat’s statement warned that these remarks pose a serious threat to the collective Arab national security and constitute a blatant challenge to international law and the principles of international legitimacy.

According to the statement, the comments expose “intolerable” expansionist and aggressive intentions of the regime.

In recent months,  Israel launched a series of full-fledged wars on Gaza, southern Lebanon and southern Syria. It has also threatened to occupy parts of Egypt, Jordan and some other Arab countries as well. 

Israel, however, suffered a crushing defeat after it launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran on June 13. 

Netanyahu’s remarks come as Israel has waged a brutal aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has so far killed nearly 61,722 Palestinians and injured 154,525 others.

Source: Press TV