U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price scolded a top Israeli minister for calling for a Palestinian village to be wiped. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
"The village of Huwara needs to be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel needs to do that – not, God forbid, private individuals," Smotrich said.
"These comments were irresponsible, they were repugnant, they were disgusting, and just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in response hours later. "We call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials to publicly and clearly reject and disavow these comments."
PALESTINIAN GUNMAN SHOOTS AND KILLS TWO ISRAELI BROTHERS IN WEST BANK
(L to R) Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) party, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, attend a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 26, 2022. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images) ( (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images))
After the two Israeli settlers were killed on Sunday, hundreds of Israelis reacted by burning cars and homes. Price said both sides need to take a step back from further violence.
"We have seen far too much violence, far too much bloodshed," Price said. "We have roundly condemned and rejected the terrorist attacks that Israel has suffered in recent days."
"In recent says we’ve also seen violence from settlers in the West Bank, violence that has resulted in the loss of life, the destruction of property," he said.
ISRAELI FORCES EXCHANGE HEAVY FIRE IN WEST BANK RAID ON PALESTINIAN MILITANTS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Rishon LeZion, Israel, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP) (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
Price urged both sides to follow through on an agreement reached on Sunday in Aqaba, Jordan, between Jordanian, Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinians that reaffirms their commitment to a "just and lasting peace."
"What is most important is implementation of what resulted in Aqaba," Price said.