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.

“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 p

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