Mr. Smotrich should attend the next Israeli camel race
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. A man known for, well, several controversial remarks. Who enjoys speaking his mind and telling it as he sees it. The latest spectacle was created by his remarks about Saudi Arabia. Attending a conference organized by the Zomet Institute and Makor Rishon newspaper, he made it quite clear that there would never be a Palestinian state. If the Saudis failed to understand, he would make it crystal clear to them: they should keep riding their camels in the desert and Israel would keep developing its economy, society and state and continue doing the great things Israeli people knew how to do. Wonderful, this is how you make friends.
First of all, this is not the first time Smotrich has made derogatory comments about Arabs. A few examples will suffice. In 2016, he decided to wade into a debate on Twitter about separate maternity wards for Jewish and Arab Israeli women. Not surprisingly, he supported the separation, because he argued that his wife would be uncomfortable giving birth next to a woman, whose child might want to kill hers one day; in 2021 he hinted that he considered that Arab citizenship in Israel could be temporary; in 2022 he suggested outlawing Arab parties, because he feared that Arab Israelis could commit massacres within Israel; and in 2023 he stated that Huwara needed to be wiped out by the Israeli military – for this, he would later post a lengthy apology.
Now, these are just a few examples that show that Smotrich has an issue with Arabs. More often than not, he tends to blame the Arab Israeli community completely for any transgression made by individual Arab Israelis. These statements also show that he suspects all Arab Israelis of wishing to harm Jewish Israelis. Sadly, there have been incidents of Arab Israelis committing terror attacks. However, we should not forget the size of the Arab Israeli community – more than two million strong – when referring to such attacks. In addition, I am waiting for forceful condemnation from Smotrich concerning Jewish Israelis in the West Bank and the attacks they commit on a regular basis. It would be ridiculous to hold the entire Jewish community in that area responsible for this violent minority, but condemnation and meaningful prosecution of these individuals would be very welcome.
When it comes to Arab Israelis, Smotrich had once even threatened to expel those who refused to accept Jewish rule. I do wonder, though, if he would then consider expelling Neturei Karta, which regularly vilifies Israeli Jews, shows support for Palestinian terror groups, and attacks Israeli police, whenever they enter the neighborhoods they reside in? Moreover, what is this panic about Arab Israelis? Does he truly mean that if he or his wife would ever need medical assistance in Israel and Arab medics from Magen David Adom – there are quite a lot of Arabs who work for this emergency service – would show up, that they would refuse their aid? What about Arab nurses and doctors in Israeli hospitals who work tirelessly every day to help patients? What does he think of entrepreneurs like Zaied Zaied, who built a women’s fashion complex that Arab and Jewish customers – even Haredi customers – frequent eagerly? What about Bedouin soldiers who serve in the IDF and have fought in Gaza during this war? What about Israel’s first female Arab airborne mechanic? Certainly, there are Arab Israelis who are very critical of Israel or reject the Jewish state outright, but what happened on October 7th? On that dreadful day, the slaughter of Israelis, including Arab Israelis, was carried out by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza.
But outrageous statements are not limited to Arab Israelis or Palestinians. No, last week Smotrich decided to offend Saudis as well. Let us forget about the derogatory comment made about Arabs, which insinuates that they are primitive desert dwellers, who spend all of their time on camels for a second. I would like to ask: what is wrong with camels? They are part of Arab culture and one of the reasons why countless Western tourists come to Egypt or the UAE, for instance, to go into the desert, park their behinds on a camel, and then have themselves photographed, so they can show friends and family back home just how well-traveled they are. Also, camel races are quite interesting, an officially state-sponsored Israeli event since last year, part of Israel’s Bedouin culture. Does Smotrich know about this?
Secondly, the obvious insult by suggesting that Saudi Arabia has nothing else to offer. This is the country that has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, still very much relevant to power the economies of countries across the globe; a country that is trying to diversify its economy, because fossil fuels are finite and the Saudi economy will eventually be exposed to high risk, if it remains dependent on its income; a country that invests in technology, which has led to the creation of numerous inventions, such as the bifunctional stent. Moreover, I admire the achievements of Israeli high-tech companies, but I would not dare claim these accomplishments as my own, simply because I am Israeli – I am already glad that I understand how my smartphone works. However, Smotrich brazenly spoke of “we.” I can remember his wonderful English press conference in Paris, which was filled with sentences not even the most qualified English linguist would have been able to decipher. A little modesty would go a long way.
He apologized for his statement about Saudi Arabia, but it would have been wise to take a few seconds to think, before constantly uttering such egregious and offensive remarks. It is well known that Smotrich supports the application of sovereignty in the West Bank, especially since he lives in Kedumim, but that is no excuse. President Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that it will not happen. Of course, the US is not without blame in this case. Already during his first term Trump hinted that Israel might be able to apply sovereignty. This year, Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s statements about Israeli sovereignty were ambiguous, too. So, the US has helped Smotrich in believing that this time it would actually happen.
But, there is a more important issue. The power balance in the Middle East is shifting once again. While Iran and its axis have suffered powerful blows, it is not defeated. The ayatollah regime is still in power and trying to recover its influence. Also, the blows Tehran has incurred, have led to the rise of another challenge in the region: the Qatari-Turkish tandem. There is hardly any difference between the overwhelming pro-Erdogan Turkish and Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Qatari media and the vitriol spouted in Iranian media concerning Israel.
In addition, this Islamist turn is considered a threat in the Gulf states, as well as Egypt and Jordan. In a region where the United States is trying to dial down its involvement, it is important that Israel forges ties with countries that share its concerns. And the Palestinian issue remains high on the Arab agenda. Not necessarily because all Arab governments care about the Palestinians wholeheartedly – simply look at how successful the Palestinian leadership was at making friends in countries such as Jordan and Lebanon and you will know the reason – but because it remains important to many Arab citizens throughout the region and because the Palestinians can be used as a political tool to attack Arab governments. So, countries like Saudi Arabia want a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, eventually. Remember that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman once stated that he worried about his safety, if he would normalize ties with Israel. In addition, his country is the custodian of the holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina. How could such a country make peace with Israel, without even mentioning the Palestinians? Where a recent poll conducted by the Washington Institute shows that only 13 percent of Saudi respondents had a positive attitude towards the Abraham Accords?
Within this context, Smotrich rejects everything outright and proceeds to insult the Saudis. Based on the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, is that prudent? And why would you insult an Arab country in such a derogatory way? Finally, a political situation is warranted but that means that Palestinians will have to make concessions, too. In addition, older options could be revisited, such as land swaps; or new ideas such as creating land off the coast of Israel, to house Jewish communities, if some would have to relocate in the future – the Dutch province of Flevoland is man-made, a combination of using dredging companies and land reclamation, where today roughly 500,000 citizens live. I am not suggesting that these would be viable options necessarily, but these are some examples that would at least show the willingness to negotiate an end to the conflict, which would not be facile.
In addition, you could discuss complex issues such as access to the Cave of the Patriarchs, Rachel’s Tomb, and the Western Wall, of course. If Arab countries support the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, then they should explain how this would work. Finally, the important issue of security: would the Palestinian leadership accept Israel’s Jewish character? It would show that you are willing to engage potential partners in peace and challenge them to address these issues, instead of dismissing everything out of hand. Why, instead, would you decide to antagonize existing and future regional partners, who share your concerns about the countries I mentioned earlier? Why not show, once again, the Israeli willingness to compromise in search of a peaceful solution, thus placing pressure on the Palestinian leadership to follow suit? And, if it would refuse, allow Arab partners to apply pressure on it, by actively involving them in this process?
Bezalel Smotrich should stop antagonizing Arab countries in the region and cease insulting Arab Israelis. Israel’s first state-sponsored camel race took place last year, so I would suggest that he attend the next one. Who knows, he might even like it.
