From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 27, 2025
Smotrich doubles down on rejection of Saudi normalization; vows Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarmed
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 and Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich says that “no one…is doing us a favor by normalizing relations with us and joining the Abraham Accords,” days after he was forced to walk back widely criticized remarks he made about normalization with Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters before his party’s faction meeting today, Smotrich insists that Israel “has always extended a hand in peace” but “will not accept any conditions that involve dividing the land, giving up parts of our homeland, or denying our heritage and our roots.”
Smotrich said Thursday that he wouldn’t agree to a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia if it meant the establishment of a Palestinian state, disparagingly saying the Saudis could “keep riding camels.”
Riyadh has long insisted that it will only normalize ties with Israel if Jerusalem agrees to establish a time-bound, irreversible pathway to a future Palestinian state, which Smotrich and other members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government vehemently oppose.
Turning to Gaza, the lawmaker says that “the war is not over yet,” despite the recent US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
He vows that “Israel will not allow the rehabilitation of Gaza as long as Hamas has not been completely dismantled,” which is “a fundamental condition for rebuilding.”
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