Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich again attacked Saudi Arabia during a Religious Zionist Party (RZP) faction meeting in the Knesset on Monday, claiming that Riyadh "denies our tradition and our heritage."
Smotrich caused a diplomatic stir last week after telling the Saudis to "keep riding camels in the Saudi desert" if they condition normalization with Israel on a demand to establish a Palestinian state.
"My statement about Saudi Arabia was certainly not successful, and I regret the offense it caused," Smotrich said in a filmed apology shared on social media on Thursday. "However, at the same time, I expect the Saudis not to harm us and not to deny the heritage, tradition, and rights of the Jewish people.
"We have survived 77 years without Saudi Arabia, we can survive 77 more without it," he stated.
Smotrich laments Israelis 'insulted on Saudis' behalf'
During Monday's press conference, the finance minister hit out against Saudi Arabia once again, as well as Israelis who they said were "insulted" on the Saudis' behalf.
"Where were you when the Saudis accused IDF soldiers of genocide for over two years...when they supported anti-Israel actions in the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice?" he asked.
"These incidents are a thousand times more insulting than an ill-advised comment by a finance minister," Smotrich said in response to a question by a reporter for Israel's public broadcaster, KAN News.
Smotrich lamented the lack of outrage among the Israeli public for what he called an "insult to our soldiers, our children and brothers...when Saudis discuss a Palestinian state, they deny our heritage, our tradition, our history, the Bible...Judea and Samaria is at the heart of Judaism and Jewish history."
Smotrich noted that, while Israel does believe in peace, it will not accept it "at any price," adding that "nobody is doing us a favor by normalizing ties and joining the Abraham Accords. We will not agree to any nation setting conditions" related to Israel's territorial integrity, he added.
Gaza war still not over, Smotrich says
The finance minister also noted that the Gaza war "has not ended yet" during RZP's Monday faction meeting.
"From our perspective - the deal's real test is its implementation," Smotrich told reporters in the Knesset. "The State of Israel will not allow Gaza's rehabilitation while Hamas is yet to be dismantled."