Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outrage by calling Palestinian opposition to Israeli-only settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories a version of “ethnic cleansing.” This is Netanyahu in a video released Friday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “The Palestinian leadership actually demands a Palestinian state with one precondition: no Jews. There’s a phrase for that. It’s called ethnic cleansing. And this demand is outrageous. It’s even more outrageous that the world doesn’t find this outrageous.”

In fact, Palestinian leaders have said that Jews—as well as members of any other religion—could be citizens in a future Palestinian state. Palestinian leaders have long opposed, however, the Israeli-only enclaves that currently dot the Israeli-occupied West Bank. State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau called Netanyahu’s comments “inappropriate.”

Elizabeth Trudeau: “We obviously strongly disagree with the characterization that those who oppose settlement activity or view it as an obstacle to peace are somehow calling for ethnic cleansing of Jews from the West Bank. We believe that using that type of terminology is inappropriate and unhelpful.”