Overview
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel should decline a deal with Riyadh if it requires creating a Palestinian state, using the phrase "keep riding camels."
- After backlash, he posted a video calling the phrasing "unfortunate" and expressing regret while defending his opposition to Palestinian statehood.
- Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz condemned the remark, saying he harmed Israel’s standing and showed ignorance for a senior minister.
- Emirati businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor labeled the rhetoric insulting and said a verbal apology could not erase the offense.
- Normalization talks remain on hold since the 2023 Gaza war, and Smotrich continues to advocate applying Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.