(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday (October 23) expressed regret for what he called his“unfortunate” remarks about Saudi Arabia after facing backlash.

Smotrich had earlier made a controversial comment suggesting that Saudi Arabia could“keep riding camels” if it demanded the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalising ties with Israel.

“If Saudi Arabia tells us normalisation in exchange for a Palestinian state, friends, no thank you,” Smotrich said at a conference in Israel.

“Keep riding camels on the sand in the Saudi desert; we'll keep truly developing - with an economy, a society, a state and all the great and wonderful things we know how to do.”

The remarks were quickly condemned by political leaders across Israel and in the wider Middle East.

Smotrich issues apology but defends his stance

In a video statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Smotrich said he regretted his earlier phrasing.

“My statement regarding Saudi Arabia was unfortunate, and I regret any offence it may have caused,” he said.

However, he also called for mutual respect, insisting that Saudis should avoid offending Israelis.

“Just as I don't intend to offend the Saudis, I expect from them not to offend us,” Smotrich added.

“Anyone who denies the living and very deep connection we have to the regions of our homeland in Judea and Samaria offends us.”

Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, is a strong advocate for annexing the occupied Palestinian territories, which Israel has controlled since 1967.

Israeli Opposition condemns Smotrich's remarks

Opposition leaders swiftly denounced Smotrich's comments, saying they harmed Israel's diplomatic standing.

“To our friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Smotrich does not represent the State of Israel,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote in Arabic on X, later calling on him to apologise.

Former defence minister Benny Gantz said Smotrich's remarks showed“ignorance” and a lack of responsibility expected from a senior government official.

Strained normalisation efforts

The controversy comes amid a freeze in normalisation talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia following Hamas's October 2023 attack, which ignited the ongoing Gaza war.

Saudi Arabia has maintained that any future agreement with Israel must include steps toward establishing an independent Palestinian state - a position rejected by Israel's far-right ministers like Smotrich.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, but Riyadh has so far held back.

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