ALBAWABA- Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked diplomatic uproar on Thursday, after making derogatory remarks about Saudi Arabia, just as U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Israel to advance peace efforts, and the Knesset narrowly advanced two controversial West Bank annexation bills.
Speaking at a Yesha Council seminar, Smotrich dismissed the idea of linking normalization with Saudi Arabia to the creation of a Palestinian state, declaring, “If Saudi Arabia tells us ‘normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ friends, no thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert in Saudi Arabia.”
The comment, widely condemned as racist and undiplomatic, triggered backlash from across Israel’s political spectrum, with critics warning it could jeopardize fragile regional diplomacy.
Smotrich later issued an apology, calling the remark “unfortunate” and expressing regret “if it offended anyone.” However, his office maintained Israel would never accept conditions undermining its sovereignty over “the land of Israel.”
Saudi officials did not immediately respond, but the insult risks straining efforts toward U.S.-brokered normalization, which Riyadh has reportedly tied to recognition of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The controversy unfolded as Vice President Vance met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders in Jerusalem, reaffirming U.S. commitment to President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan and warning against actions that could derail peace. “This kind of rhetoric doesn’t help,” Vance said privately, according to U.S. officials, while emphasizing Washington’s opposition to unilateral annexation.
Hours before Smotrich’s remarks, the Knesset narrowly passed two preliminary bills — by a 25–24 vote — to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, including Ma’ale Adumim, in defiance of Netanyahu’s objections.
Vance blasted the move as a “stupid political stunt” that “endangers U.S. support,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, arriving the same day, called it “counterproductive.”
Palestinian leaders and Arab states, including Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, condemned the vote as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability. Smotrich’s insult and the annexation push, expose deep fractures within Israel’s government and risk undermining Trump’s broader vision for post-Gaza normalization between Israel and the Arab world.
