The US has worked tirelessly to establish a formal diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel. But on Thursday, Smotrich seemed to do his best to instead freeze the relationship further.
If Saudi Arabia says "normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state", friends - no thanks. Continue riding your camels in the Saudi Arabian desert, said the finance minister.
Smotrich - one of the more controversial and far-right elements in the Netanyahu government - receives criticism in Israel from the media and political opponents for the racist tone of the outburst.
"Unfortunate" choice of words
Moreover, this happens shortly before the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House next month, where the Crown Prince and President Donald Trump are expected to discuss the normalization process.
Smotrich later apologized for his "unfortunate" choice of words and the "insult the words caused". But in the new statement, he also says that he expects Saudi Arabia to refrain from denying the Jewish people's "heritage, traditions, and rights" in the West Bank.
Both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have long tried to thaw the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel as part of the so-called Abraham Accords, which were signed in 2020 between Israel and four Arab countries.
Rejects Palestinian state
The process was, however, put on hold by the Saudis due to the war in the Gaza Strip. Earlier this year, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is not relevant if the Palestinians do not get their own state.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, however, like Smotrich, consistently rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. Instead, they have driven for expanded settlements on the occupied West Bank - including the heavily criticized settlement E1, which in practice divides the Palestinian area into two parts.
We will ensure that there is and never will be a Palestinian state, said Smotrich during his criticized speech.
