Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday withdrew offensive remarks he made about Saudi Arabia following backlash.
"My statement about Saudi Arabia was definitely unsuccessful, and I regret the offense it caused,” the extremist minister said on X.
"Nevertheless, and simultaneously, I expect the Saudis not to harm us and not to deny the heritage, tradition and rights of the Jewish people to the historical regions of their homeland in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and to establish true peace with us."
Smotrich issued insulting comments against the kingdom early Thursday, rejecting any normalization with ties with Riyadh in return for a Palestinian state.
"If Saudi Arabia tells us ‘normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state,’ friends - no thank you,” Smotrich said at a conference organized by the Zomet Institute and the Makor Rishon newspaper.
