Smotrich: 'The Saudis say much worse things, no one demands they apologize'

 

Speaking at the start of the Religious Zionism faction meeting on Monday, Smotrich addressed the uproar caused by his earlier comment that “the Saudis can keep riding camels,” a remark for which he apologized yesterday.

He questioned why the criticism was directed at him rather than at Saudi Arabia itself, which, he said, has been consistently hostile toward Israel: “Where were you when, for two years, the Saudis accused IDF soldiers of genocide and starvation? When they supported legal proceedings against Israel in international courts and backed arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister? That’s a thousand times more insulting than an unplanned, not-so-graceful remark by Israel’s finance minister.”

He continued, “The Saudis have said much more offensive things about us. They’ve taken part in antisemitic rhetoric - and no one demanded that they apologize. They call for tearing the State of Israel in two and for establishing a terrorist state in our midst. But that’s fine, apparently. They’re allowed.”

“So I made an unfortunate comment - oh dear, we offended the Saudis! How terrible, who will ever recover from this,” Smotrich said sarcastically.

On the Abraham Accords, Smotrich reaffirmed: “We believe in peace, but not at any price. We will expand the agreements and deepen cooperation, but we will insist on a basic principle - peace for peace. A genuine peace based on truth, not on the lie of creating a terrorist state that would endanger our future and our existence. No one - and I emphasize, no one - is doing us a favor by normalizing relations with us or joining the Abraham Accords.”

“We have always extended a hand in peace, and we continue to do so,” he added. “But we will not accept any country in the world imposing conditions on us involving the partition of the land, the relinquishment of parts of our homeland, or denial of our heritage and roots.”

Finally, addressing the defense budget, Smotrich said: “The defense establishment will be required to become more efficient and return to a reasonable budget. Yes, the budget will remain higher than before the war - that’s natural - but it cannot continue growing without limit. Economic security is an inseparable part of national security.”