Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed regret for recent comments widely viewed as derogatory toward Saudi Arabia, saying his remarks were “unfortunate” and not intended to offend the kingdom. The statement came amid growing diplomatic tension following his controversial speech linking potential Saudi-Israeli normalization to the question of Palestinian statehood.
In a message posted on his official X account on Thursday, Smotrich wrote: “My remarks about Saudi Arabia were certainly not appropriate, and I am sorry for the offense they caused.”
The far-right minister, however, coupled his apology with pointed political expectations, adding: “At the same time, I expect our Saudi neighbors not to harm us, not to deny the heritage, traditions, and rights of the Jewish people in their historic homeland of Judea and Samaria, and to make real peace with us.”
The statement marked a partial climbdown from remarks he made earlier in the week at a political conference, in which he appeared to mock Saudi Arabia’s preconditions for normalization. Speaking in Hebrew, Smotrich dismissed the possibility of Israel accepting the establishment of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalization with Riyadh.
“There is potential to expand the Abraham Accords,” he said, referring to Israel’s normalization deals with several Arab states. “But sovereignty is the ultimate test. If Saudi Arabia says, ‘Normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ then, my friends no, thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert, and we’ll continue building a powerful technological nation.”
His comments sparked outrage across the Arab world and drew rebuke from within Israel’s political establishment. Opposition leader Yair Lapid issued a statement in Arabic addressed directly to Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East, saying that Smotrich “does not represent the State of Israel.”
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to Smotrich’s apology, but Riyadh has repeatedly reaffirmed its long-standing position: that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Smotrich, a prominent figure in Israel’s far-right Religious Zionism party, is known for his uncompromising views on the Palestinian issue and his opposition to any territorial concessions in the occupied West Bank. His remarks have often complicated Israel’s foreign relations, particularly with Arab states engaged in quiet dialogue over potential normalization.
Observers say the timing of the controversy is particularly sensitive. The Biden and Trump administrations alike have viewed a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement as a potential cornerstone of a new regional order, one that would integrate Israel more deeply into the Arab world while reshaping the postwar Middle East landscape.
Smotrich’s walk-back appears aimed at containing diplomatic fallout and preventing further strain with Washington and Gulf capitals. Still, his statement underscores the sharp ideological divide within Israel’s ruling coalition over how to engage with Arab states and manage the Palestinian question a divide that continues to test both Israel’s diplomacy and its domestic politics.
