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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked outrage Thursday after saying that if Saudi Arabia insists on a Palestinian state as part of normalization with Israel, “you can keep riding camels in the Saudi desert.”
Speaking at a conference, the far-right minister addressed efforts to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Referring to Riyadh’s reported condition that normalization would require the establishment of a Palestinian state, Smotrich said: “If Saudi Arabia says it wants a Palestinian state in return for normalization—my friends, no thank you, you can continue riding camels in the sands of the Saudi desert.”
Smotrich, leader of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party, also said Israel should extend sovereignty over the occupied West Bank—effectively annexing the territory—despite what he described as a clear warning from U.S. President Donald Trump not to proceed with annexation.
After the Israeli minister's reaction, Saudi academic Aziz Algashian commented on X, "Masterful diplomacy by Smotrich. This racism isn't his fault-it's an artifact of a negative culture in Israel that's in dire need of educational reform."
After the comments circulated widely on social media, opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid responded in Arabic on X, writing: “To our friends in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East … Smotrich does not represent the State of Israel.”
Israeli media later reported growing friction between Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a bill to annex illegal Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
According to the reports, Smotrich supported the proposal, while Netanyahu opposed it, saying “now is not the time,” particularly during the visit of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to Israel. Netanyahu was said to have warned Smotrich, reportedly telling him, “You can’t wag your finger at the U.S. vice president while he’s visiting here.”
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