Tel Aviv: Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has issued an apology to Saudi Arabia after his remarks about the Kingdom’s stance on the Palestinian issue drew widespread criticism.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Zomet Institute and Makor Rishon newspaper on Thursday, October 23, Smotrich rejected Riyadh’s condition that normalisation with Israel must include the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He said, “If Saudi Arabia tells us ‘normalisation in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ friends — no thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert in Saudi Arabia, and we will continue to develop our economy, society, and state.”

The comments were widely criticised across Israel’s political spectrum. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Smotrich “does not represent the State of Israel,” while Benny Gantz called the remarks “ignorant and irresponsible.”

Hours later, Smotrich posted a video on his X account, acknowledging that his comments were “certainly not appropriate.” “I apologise for the offence I caused,” he said, while urging Saudi Arabia to pursue “true peace” and respect what he described as the Jewish people’s historical rights in their ancestral homeland.

The controversy came as Israel’s parliament passed a preliminary reading of a bill proposing the annexation of the occupied West Bank — a move that drew criticism even from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly maintained that normalisation with Israel is contingent on the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom continues to lead international diplomatic efforts promoting the two-state solution and urging global recognition of Palestinian statehood as the basis for regional peace.

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