Israeli Minister Denies Existence of Palestinian People

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed that there is "no such thing" as a Palestinian people, while Israel's new coalition government pushed ahead with a plan to overhaul the judiciary. The move reflects the limited influence the Biden administration appears to have over Israel's new far-right government and raises questions about attempts to lower tensions, both inside Israel and with the Palestinians, ahead of a sensitive holiday season. The comments were met with condemnation from Jordan, Egypt, and the EU, while Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called them "conclusive evidence of the extremist, racist Zionist ideology that governs the parties of the current Israeli government."