More than 5,000 Americans have signed a petition calling for the fascist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to be banned from entering the United States and to cancel his entry visa.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the petition, organized by Adalah Justice Project, said the United States must ban the travel of Smotrich to the US in March “because of his statements that call for violence and atrocities against the Palestinian people.”

On February 26, Israeli settlers stormed and attacked the Palestinian villages of Hawara, Burin, Zaatara, and Asira al-Qabaliyya. The armed settlers burned and damaged houses, vehicles and shops, injured hundreds of civilians and shot and killed Sameh Aqtash in his home in Zaatara.

Smotrich told Israeli television after the settlers’ pogrom that the village of Hawara “should be wiped out.”

“This is a clear call for genocide,” said the petition to Secretary Blinken.

“We call on you to do more than condemn Smotrich’s statements, but to also take away his platform in the United States to continue to spread hatred and fundraise for his anti-Palestinian agenda.”

Last week, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price described Smotrich’s remarks as “irresponsible, repugnant and disgusting,” and said the United States expects Netanyahu to publicly reject Smotrich’s “incitement to violence.”

Reports from Washington said that Smotrich’s trip to the US, which comes at the invitation of Israel Bond and which will start on March 12, is still on as scheduled but will not include meetings with US officials, including his counterpart the Treasury Secretary, as confirmed by the US National Security Council spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, the international wave of condemnation of Smotrich’s statement continued with Kuwait and the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States also condemning the Israeli cabinet minister’s statement.

SOURCE: PALESTINE NEWS & INFO AGENCY