Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi has denied the existence of the Palestinian people, going on to assert that they have "no rights."
David Yosef made the remarks while visiting the Gush Katif Museum in West Jerusalem, according to Israeli media reports and video footage circulating online.
Addressing supporters, he said the Gaza Strip, along with the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin, are all part of the "Land of Israel," calling for the wholesale destruction of the Palestinian enclave.
The international community sees the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as occupied Palestinian territories, and affirms the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
Yosef is known for making incendiary remarks about Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims.
Last September, he claimed Palestinians "only do looting and killing," saying they are "not a people, but a mob," according to Israeli media.
The chief rabbi is not the only Israeli official to publicly deny the existence of the Palestinians as a people.
In March 2023, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, said in a speech in France that there is "no such thing as the Palestinian people," going on to deny the existence of Palestinian history and culture.
Yosef's remarks come amid international outrage over Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000—since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.
