The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned what it called the "extreme statements" made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about the Jewish connection to Hevron.
At the start of a cabinet meeting earlier in the day, Netanyahu spoke about the murder of Ganedi Kofman, who passed away after being hospitalized for over three weeks struggling to recover from an Arab terrorist stabbing attack at the Cave of Machpelah in Hevron.
"This morning as well, I say to all those who would uproot us from the Tomb of the Patriarchs - except for a few years in the previous century, we have been there for almost 4,000 years and we will stay there forever. You cannot defeat us," Netanyahu said.
The PA Foreign Ministry blasted the remarks, saying they show a "tendency toward absolute religious extremism in his speeches and positions and full compliance with the views of the settlers and their spiritual leaders."
The Ministry continued, saying that "the religious escalation in Netanyahu's political statements pushes towards a religious confrontation, which he will be personally responsible for its ramifications."
The PA Foreign Ministry also warned against "the danger of these statements which encourage the extremists to carry additional terrorist acts" and sent a warning to the international community that "the political implications of the radical religious discourse will certainly reach their home countries if they do not take immediate steps.”