Arab states condemn Geert Wilders for suggesting expulsion of Palestinians to Jordan

The Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and several Arab states on Saturday condemned statements by Geert Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islam Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), which won a shock victory in parliamentary elections in the Netherlands last week.

Wilders, known for his past inflammatory statements against Islam and the Moroccan community in the Netherlands, appeared to suggest that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza should be expelled to Jordan.

He repeated an old Israeli trope that “Jordan is Palestine”, which has often been used by Israel in the past to deny Palestinians their rights to self-determination and justify its occupation of the West Bank and siege of the Gaza Strip.

"Geert Wilders’ comments are not only offensive but also dangerous. They deny the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and their own independent state," Sufyan Qudah, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry said.

Jordan is Palestine!

Arab states condemn Wilders for push to relocate Palestinians to Jordan https://t.co/U6JjdOk0IK

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 25, 2023

The foreign ministry added that Wilders’ remarks were "a call to escalate the aggression against our people and a blatant interference in their affairs and future".

Jordan also condemned the far-right Dutch parliamentarian’s comments.

"Jordan rejects any proposal that undermines the rights of the Palestinian people or their quest for an independent state," Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi stated.

"We remain committed to a two-state solution with east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, in accordance with international consensus."

The UAE and Bahrain, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020, also condemned Wilders’ remarks, as did Yemen.

Wilders could become the Netherlands’ next prime minister after his far-right Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the largest party.

He has previously called for the Quran to be banned and mosques to be closed in the Netherlands, and also called Dutch Moroccans "scum".

The Islamophobic politician has also expressed strong support for Israel, calling for the Dutch embassy there to be moved to Jerusalem and for relations with the Palestinian Authority to be cut.