From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Smotrich apologizes for his ‘keep riding camels in the desert’ jab at Saudi Arabia
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich apologizes for his comments earlier today in which he derided a possible normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia if it means the establishment of a Palestinian state, telling Riyadh to “keep riding camels.”
In a video posted to X a few hours after he made the remark, he apologizes, saying, “My comment about Saudi Arabia was absolutely inappropriate, and I apologize for the insult it caused.”
He doubles down on his opposition to Palestinian statehood, saying, “I expect from the Saudis not to do us harm and not to deny our heritage, our tradition and the rights of the Jewish people to its historic homelands in Judea and Samaria, and to establish true peace with us.”
Smotrich said earlier today, “If Saudi Arabia tells us ‘normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ friends — no thank you. Keep riding camels in the desert,” at the “Halacha in the Technological Era” conference organized by the Zomet Institute and the Makor Rishon newspaper.
The remark drew widespread criticism and was made ahead of a planned White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss normalization.
Riyadh has said it will only normalize ties if Israel commits to a clear path toward Palestinian statehood — a condition Smotrich and other members of Netanyahu’s government reject.
The Times of Israel Community.