A senior Saudi source said there was no intention to move toward normalization with the current Israeli government, following incendiary remarks by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Speaking at a Thursday conference organized by the Zomet Institute and the Makor Rishon newspaper, Smotrich said that if Saudi Arabia conditioned normalization on the establishment of a Palestinian state, then they can "keep riding camels in the desert."
His comments triggered a political firestorm and drew criticism from both within Israel and abroad. Several hours later, Smotrich apologized for what he called an "Unfortunate comment."
'Keep riding camels'
"Sovereignty is the test," Smotrich declared. "If Saudi Arabia tells us normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state, then friends, no thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert; we'll continue developing our economy, society, and country, and all the great things we know how to do." He added, "The State of Israel is the State of Israel in all its borders – it will never establish a Palestinian state."
Journalist Malek al-Roqi, based in Riyadh, quoted Smotrich's comments and wrote: "Since the New York conference, the extremists in Israel have been raging against Saudi Arabia and its clear position." He was referring to a recent conference on the two-state solution, which Saudi Arabia jointly promoted with France.
Smotrich's remarks drew condemnation from opposition leaders and even from within the government. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid wrote in Arabic on X (formerly Twitter): "To our friends in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East – Smotrich does not represent Israel."
Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, also weighed in: "Instead of normalization with Saudi Arabia, the Netanyahu-Smotrich coalition is choosing Hamas and Qatar in Gaza. A Saudi boycott is a gift to Hamas and will help it retain power in the Strip."
'Unfortunate comment'
As mentioned, Smotrich issued an apology hours after the uproar, writing in a social media post: "My unplanned and unfortunate comment about Saudi Arabia was certainly ill-considered, and I regret the offense it caused." In the video, he added: "I also won't accept hypocrisy – just as I don't wish to harm the Saudis, I expect not to be harmed either. I expect the Saudis not to deny the heritage, tradition, and rights of the Jewish people to their historical homeland in Judea and Samaria, and to work with us toward true peace."
