The Israeli Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, called on Sunday for dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, and Arab states denounced the call. The minister said that anyone waving a Palestinian flag "should not continue to live on the earth." Eliyahu further continued his horrendous statement by saying that the Gaza Strip must not remain on the face of the earth, and Israel must establish settlements there. He also said that the war has costs for the Israelis "kidnapped" by the Palestinian resistance. "I pray and hope for their return, but there is a price to be paid in war. Why are the lives of the abductees, whose release I want, more important than the lives of the soldiers and the people who will be murdered later?" he said. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, said that the racist Israeli minister's statements were revealing. "Not only does he admit that they possess a nuclear weapon, which is a secret that everyone knows, but he also confirms the reality of the Israelis' abhorrent racist view towards the Palestinian people. This is the true face of the occupation government for everyone who defends it in the West." Hamas said that such statements from an Israeli minister show the terrorism of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly" condemned the Israeli minister's statements, considering it "a dangerous incitement to a war crime" It is also "a disregard for human and moral values and international laws," Doha also added that the Israeli minister's statements represent "an extension of the escalatory policy adopted by the Israeli government in the Palestinian territories." Moreover, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that the Kingdom condemns the extremist statements made, adding that the statements show the penetration of extremism and brutality among members of the Israeli government. Eliyahu's statements sparked angry responses within Israel itself, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended Minister Eliyahu from government meetings until further notice. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also said that Eliyahu's statements are irresponsible and that it is good that he is not responsible for Israel's security.
